The US military's search for a detailed and trustworthy source of
benrse information on the hearts and minds of the rural communities of Afghanistan and Pakistan has led them to an unlikely author.
Greg Mortenson is not a politician or special forces guru but a mountaineer turned humanitarian worker whose book Three Cups of Tea has become required reading for the US high command.
The book explains how a failed ascent of K2 led Mortenson to a small village in north-eastern Pakistan.
To show his gratitude to the villagers who looked after him when he came down from the mountain, the American promised to build them a school.
For three years, he lived and worked in the Karakoram mountain villages of northern Pakistan, learning about the Balti people and their culture. It led to him setting up dozens of schools – mainly for girls – in remote parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The book takes its title from a Balti proverb: "The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honoured guest. The third time you share
benrse a cup of tea, you become family."
