Afghanistan became the ultimate Cold War chess piece and the CIA’s most ambitious covert operation in history. Under the code name Operation Cyclone, the U.S. funneled billions of dollars, weapons, and training into Afghan 'freedom fighters'. Many of those who fought were radical Islamists who would later establish the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. The story begins with Stinger missiles that brought down Soviet helicopters and ends with the arrival of Osama bin Laden, a wealthy Saudi who planted the seeds of America's greatest tragedy in the Cold War.
