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((about|the novel|other uses|Afghan (disambiguation)|the film|The Afghan (film)))

((EngvarB|date=September 2013))
((Use dmy dates|date=September 2013))
((more citations needed|date=February 2013))
((infobox book | <!-- See [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Novels]] or [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Books]] -->
| name          = The Afghan
| title_orig    =
| translator    =
| image         = File:TheAfghan.jpg
| caption       = First edition (UK)
| author        = [[Frederick Forsyth]]
| illustrator   =
| cover_artist  =
| country       = United Kingdom
| language      = English
| series        =
| genre         = [[Thriller (genre)|Thriller]]
| publisher     = [[Bantam Press]]
| pub_date      = 2006
| english_pub_date =
| media_type    = Print (hardback & paperback)
| pages         = 343
| isbn          = 0-593-05725-2
| preceded_by   =
| followed_by   =
))
'''''The Afghan''''' is a 2006 thriller novel by British writer [[Frederick Forsyth]].

==Plot summary==
A joint operation by [[Secret Intelligence Service|MI6]], the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]], and Pakistan's [[Inter-Services Intelligence|ISI]] against [[al Qaeda]] operatives in [[Pakistan]] uncovers documents concerning a planned terrorist attack codenamed "[[al-Isra]]". The cryptic nature of the codename triggers further investigations authorised at the most senior level.

Now eager to learn more about al Qaeda's plans for al-Isra, MI6 and CIA scramble to find out information through their various contacts, including inserting an operative close enough into the terror network's confidence. Middle Eastern scholar Dr. Terry Martin, who is part of a special committee studying the Koran for references to al-Isra, accidentally mentions that his elder brother [[Mike Martin (character)|Mike]], a retired [[Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom)|Paras]] and [[Special Air Service|SAS]] officer, can pass for an Afghan native; Mike's chestnut-brown complexion, which he inherited from his mother and maternal grandmother, is indeed a perfect match. The elder Martin also has a near-perfect command of [[Arabic language|Arabic]] and [[Pashto language|Pashto]], based from his tour of duty in Afghanistan supporting the [[Mujahideen]].

Interested with Mike's appearance, the CIA and MI6 recall him to infiltrate al-Qaeda by assuming the identity of Izmat Khan, a [[Taliban]] commander now detained at [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp|Guantanamo Bay]]. It is revealed that Khan and Mike share a common past – he saved the wounded Khan from an attack by Soviet helicopters and brought him to a clinic run by [[Ayman al Zawahiri]], where he also meets "the sheikh", [[Osama bin Laden]]. A wayward US missile that was launched as part of a strike in retaliation for the 1998 East Africa bombings hits a slope in the [[Tora Bora]], resulting in a landslide that buries Khan's village and his entire family; he swears revenge against the US, joining the Taliban in the process. He is later caught after the [[Battle of Qala-i-Jangi]].

Mike is trained to fully assume Khan's identity (right down to saying Muslim prayers in Pashto) while the real Khan is slated for repatriation to Afghanistan. CIA operatives kidnap Khan and bring him to a secret safehouse in [[Washington (state)|Washington State]], with Mike in his place. The ISI engineer Mike's escape after his arrival in Afghanistan and he makes his way back to al Qaeda [[safe house]]s in Pakistan and the UAE, where he is accepted as a compatriot after extensive verification by al-Qaeda representatives. The interrogation delves into every chapter of Khan's life, which includes showing his old wound in Afghanistan.

Now accepted into al-Qaeda's fold as Izmat Khan, Mike volunteers to join the operating team for al-Isra. Part of the plan calls for an al-Qaeda agent posing as a businessman to charter a freighter and a tanker carrying [[Liquefied petroleum gas|liquid petroleum gas]]. The freighter is later captured by pirates and sank with all hands killed while the tanker is brought to a secret place in [[Borneo]] and refitted as the freighter. Another group hijacks a cargo ship in the [[Caribbean]], although this is intended to serve as a decoy. Martin successfully alerts his handlers to the general nature of the threat, but is left incommunicado for several weeks as the ship steams to the US [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]] through the Indian Ocean (maritime authorities search all ships in the Pacific). A CIA official involved with planning Mike's mission drops hints about the al-Isra attack possibly a repeat of the [[Halifax Explosion|1917 explosion]] in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Meanwhile, an aircraft on approach to [[McChord Air Force Base]] develops engine trouble and accidentally crashes into the CIA safehouse, blasting open Khan's cell and giving him an opportunity to escape his captors. A [[US Army Special Forces|Special Forces]] team chases Khan across the [[Cascade Range|Cascades]] and kills him as he uses a public phone in Canada to call his allies.

Eventually, the tanker reaches the mid-Atlantic, where a [[G8 summit]] is being held on the ''[[Queen Mary 2]]''. Martin finally learns that the terrorists intend to release and then ignite the gas on board the tanker, which could incinerate the liner as it passed within range. Martin's last-minute heroism, quick reflexes and self-sacrifice prevent a tragedy.

==Background==
''The Afghan'' can be seen as a sequel to ''[[The Fist of God]]'', with the re-appearance of the Martin brothers. However, due to unexplained reasons, Forsyth rewrote the brothers' backstory as explained in ''The Fist of God''. In that book, their parents got married in Iraq in 1952 with Mike being born in 1953 and Terry in 1955. In ''The Afghan'', the couple waited ten years before deciding to have children. As a result, Mike's military record is adjusted ten years forward, with his career now including stints in Northern Ireland, Sierra Leone and Afghanistan - he was part of the relieving force during the [[Battle of Qala-i-Jangi]]. The story relationship with ''The Fist of God'' ends when Mike escapes Iraq and is almost killed by Foreign Legionnaires patrolling the border with no details are alluded to anything connected to the [[Supergun affair|Supergun]].

==Critical reception==
The book reaped mixed reviews. Kirkus Reviews labelled the book as a "post 9/11 apocalyptic western."<ref>((Cite web|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/frederick-forsyth/the-afghan/|title=THE AFGHAN &#124; Kirkus Reviews))</ref>

==References==
((reflist))

((Frederick Forsyth))

((DEFAULTSORT:Afghan, The))
[[Category:2006 British novels]]
[[Category:Novels by Frederick Forsyth]]
[[Category:Books about al-Qaeda]]
[[Category:British thriller novels]]
[[Category:Novels about terrorism]]
[[Category:Bantam Press books]]

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