The Afghan

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The Afghan, a novel by Frederick Forsyth, is about Islamic terrorism.

[edit] Plot

Mike Martin is a United Kingdom special-ops soldier. Physically able to pass for an Arab (his maternal grandmother was a Bengali-Indian named Indira Bhose which contributed to his chestnut-brown complexion), Martin has a near-perfect command of Arabic, having been raised at a young age in Iraq. Martin is also familiar with Afghanistan and the Pashtun language, Pashto, and so is chosen to infiltrate the highest echelons of Al Qaeda. This is the second appearance of Mike Martin, after his successful mission into Iraq, as detailed in The Fist of God.

The purpose is to investigate the details of an Al Qaeda operation termed al-Isra.

Martin is successful in impersonating The Afghan, a prisoner held in Guantanamo for over 5 years, and is accepted as a terrorist operative.

The terrorists take over a tanker and attempt to blow it up within a 3-mile radius of the liner Queen Mary 2, which is, imaginatively, hosting a G8 summit.

Martin's last minute heroism prevents a tragedy.