The Afghan

by Frederick Forsyth Book 2 in the Mike Martin series.

First published 2006

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4.4(6,770)

British and American intelligence services learn that al-Qaeda is preparing a major attack, but they have no agent inside the organisation and almost no reliable information about the target or timetable. Their opportunity is Izmat Khan, a senior Taliban commander held at Guantanamo Bay. Colonel Mike Martin is selected to assume Khan’s identity because his appearance, languages and long experience of covert operations give the deception a narrow chance of success.

Martin is transformed through months of physical preparation, interrogation and study before entering the network that believes its commander has returned. Each safe house and conversation exposes him to men who may recognise a mistake in accent, memory or religious practice. The novel concentrates on the mechanics and moral cost of impersonation, placing one isolated operative inside the transnational structures of terrorism while his handlers try to understand an operation whose final purpose remains concealed.