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Author: Paul Darling
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
ISBN: 0700638067
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 184
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Book Description
“We aren’t home yet,” Major Paul Darling reminds his team at the end of a sixteen-hour day. “Two more miles and we are done. We have pissed off a lot of Taliban today, and they are going to want payback.” Shortly, the major will find himself sitting on a concrete basketball court next to the bunker where the day started so long ago, talking by satellite phone to his wife on the other side of the world. When she asks, “What happened?” there is too much to say. But one day, he promises himself, he will put into words what it was like—one day in the life of a combat soldier in Afghanistan in 2009. This is the story of that day. In crisp prose and sharp detail Darling offers a moment-by-moment account of a one-day mission to track down and kill Taliban insurgents in the Zabul Province of southeastern Afghanistan. A rare day-in-the-life narrative that is also a page-turner, his story captures the mundane realities of deployment—the waiting, the heat, the heavy gear, the 0345 wake-up—along with the high-octane experience of crossing foreign terrain where every turn, every decision might have life or death consequences. The living accommodations, reporting up the chain of command, the bureaucracy, and the almost insurmountable challenges of functioning effectively in two cultures—all become intimately real in Darling’s telling as he balances the imperatives of his mission and the skills of his men against the ever-multiplying unknowns, the unpredictable and dangerous Afghan “allies,” and the elusive enemy: the unseen IED and the possibility of fatal miscalculation. In the midst of the soldier’s everyday drama of never quite knowing what comes next, Darling’s moments of humor and reflection put the chaos and uncertainties of combat into a larger perspective. The story is about one man and the ethical choices and compromises he has to make as a leader—a man who has promises to keep: to family; to country; to his soldiers, both Afghan and American; and, ultimately, to himself.
Author: Paul Darling
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
ISBN: 0700638067
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 184
Get Book Here
Book Description
“We aren’t home yet,” Major Paul Darling reminds his team at the end of a sixteen-hour day. “Two more miles and we are done. We have pissed off a lot of Taliban today, and they are going to want payback.” Shortly, the major will find himself sitting on a concrete basketball court next to the bunker where the day started so long ago, talking by satellite phone to his wife on the other side of the world. When she asks, “What happened?” there is too much to say. But one day, he promises himself, he will put into words what it was like—one day in the life of a combat soldier in Afghanistan in 2009. This is the story of that day. In crisp prose and sharp detail Darling offers a moment-by-moment account of a one-day mission to track down and kill Taliban insurgents in the Zabul Province of southeastern Afghanistan. A rare day-in-the-life narrative that is also a page-turner, his story captures the mundane realities of deployment—the waiting, the heat, the heavy gear, the 0345 wake-up—along with the high-octane experience of crossing foreign terrain where every turn, every decision might have life or death consequences. The living accommodations, reporting up the chain of command, the bureaucracy, and the almost insurmountable challenges of functioning effectively in two cultures—all become intimately real in Darling’s telling as he balances the imperatives of his mission and the skills of his men against the ever-multiplying unknowns, the unpredictable and dangerous Afghan “allies,” and the elusive enemy: the unseen IED and the possibility of fatal miscalculation. In the midst of the soldier’s everyday drama of never quite knowing what comes next, Darling’s moments of humor and reflection put the chaos and uncertainties of combat into a larger perspective. The story is about one man and the ethical choices and compromises he has to make as a leader—a man who has promises to keep: to family; to country; to his soldiers, both Afghan and American; and, ultimately, to himself.
Author: Paul Darling
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
ISBN: 0700627847
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 184
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Book Description
“We aren’t home yet,” Major Paul Darling reminds his team at the end of a sixteen-hour day. “Two more miles and we are done. We have pissed off a lot of Taliban today, and they are going to want payback.” Shortly, the major will find himself sitting on a concrete basketball court next to the bunker where the day started so long ago, talking by satellite phone to his wife on the other side of the world. When she asks, “What happened?” there is too much to say. But one day, he promises himself, he will put into words what it was like—one day in the life of a combat soldier in Afghanistan in 2009. This is the story of that day. In crisp prose and sharp detail Darling offers a moment-by-moment account of a one-day mission to track down and kill Taliban insurgents in the Zabul Province of southeastern Afghanistan. A rare day-in-the-life narrative that is also a page-turner, his story captures the mundane realities of deployment—the waiting, the heat, the heavy gear, the 0345 wake-up—along with the high-octane experience of crossing foreign terrain where every turn, every decision might have life or death consequences. The living accommodations, reporting up the chain of command, the bureaucracy, and the almost insurmountable challenges of functioning effectively in two cultures—all become intimately real in Darling’s telling as he balances the imperatives of his mission and the skills of his men against the ever-multiplying unknowns, the unpredictable and dangerous Afghan “allies,” and the elusive enemy: the unseen IED and the possibility of fatal miscalculation. In the midst of the soldier’s everyday drama of never quite knowing what comes next, Darling’s moments of humor and reflection put the chaos and uncertainties of combat into a larger perspective. The story is about one man and the ethical choices and compromises he has to make as a leader—a man who has promises to keep: to family; to country; to his soldiers, both Afghan and American; and, ultimately, to himself.
Author: Lisa M. Mundey
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476688893
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 259
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Book Description
During two decades of fighting in Afghanistan, U.S. service members confronted numerous challenges in their mission to secure the country from the threat of al-Qaeda and the Taliban and assist in rebuilding efforts. Because the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan occurred simultaneously, much of the American public conflated them or failed to notice the Afghanistan War; and most of the war's archival material remains classified and closed to civilian researchers. Drawing on interviews and letters home, this book relates the Afghanistan War through the experiences of American troops, with firsthand accounts of both combat and humanitarian operations, the environment, living conditions and interactions with the locals.
Author: Sharifullah Dorani
Publisher: S&M Publishing House
ISBN: 1739606914
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 411
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Book Description
Praise for The Lone Leopard Dr Sharifullah Dorani’s The Lone Leopard is…a powerful book that tells a story I will never forget...an emotional roller coaster...an eye-opener...that has the potential to become a classic over time. —The Rest Journal of Politics and Development a heart-wrenching, yet hopeful story of family, friendship and love set against the nationalistic and religious conflicts of Afghanistan's last four decades…an extremely good read —Bedfordshire Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support a generous, sensitive, well-researched novel which offers an informative perspective on Afghanistan’s past, and projects a strong sense of hope for the future. —US Studies Online an interesting, suspenseful, and impactful story that…gradually rises in intensity and drama…[The book] should especially appeal to those who want to learn more about Afghanistan’s complex culture and recent tumultuous history.—The Strategy Bridge Libraries looking for literary fiction that can reach an exceptionally wide audience will find The Lone Leopard hard-hitting, attractive, and educational, all in one. Ideally, it also will reach into book club discussions with its special brand of personal and political reflection.—Midwest Book Review a must read for anyone working with or interested in learning about Afghanis. It would also be an excellent option for book clubs. —Keith Shortley thought-provoking and engaging —Review Tales fascinating —Andrea Jones, BRASS an absorbing...sensitive, heartbreaking, and bold…story...It touches your heart —Review Vue Thought-provoking, heartbreaking, and engaging... a must-read historical fiction Middle Eastern and contemporary romance drama novel. The author’s thoughtful and brilliant writing style… and the mesmerizing and emotional story…will have readers hanging onto the author’s every word. —Author Anthony Avina’s Blog An eye-opening story that saturates the mind and heart on many different levels. —Donovan's Literary Services a story of…young lives, teenage angst, human affinity and grief. —Sarah Collier, USSO an eye-opener…absorbing…and revealing...I heartily recommend it to anyone who wants to 'enter' Afghanistan mentally and emotionally. —Jane Marriott, BRASS an ideal choice for university/college courses on... South Asia and...the Greater Middle East. —CESRAN Reviews of the author’s previous book His is the art of synthesis: of letting the known, verifiable facts speak for themselves... America in Afghanistan documents forensically how the incapacity or unwillingness of the powerful to imagine the conditions of the conquered can prove devastating to the imbalances of geopolitical power ... The book is most powerful precisely when the anthropological distance is set aside and Dorani allows everyday Afghans to speak...Their voice gives the book a human scale. ―Charged Affairs The fact that Dorani spoke to Afghans from 'all walks of life' in researching the book is a strength that yields many of his most cutting insights...Dorani’s Afghan perspective is truly invaluable. Americans and Westerners should pay attention. ―The Strategy Bridge, Carter Malkasian The new book by Dr. Sharifullah Dorani...is not just another story of Afghanistan’s troubled past, but rather is a remarkable account of the country’s modern history with details, facts and figures that presents in its entirety the reasons that made Afghanistan, in spite of its ancient and rich civilization, renowned globally for all the wrong reasons. ― U.S. Studies Online A valuable contribution to understanding the complex motivations, causes and consequences of US policy towards Afghanistan and the internal disagreements between the actors. ―LSE US Centre The book is extremely valuable in terms of understanding decision making towards Afghanistan...crucial to courses relating to Foreign Policy Analysis, especially those on the Foreign Decision Making Models. ―CESRAN International Dorani’s work ... provides an interesting overview of U.S. political history throughout the course of the Afghanistan war. ―The Palestine Chronicle Eminently readable ... a must-read for Afghans and others alike. ―Peggy Mason, Rideau Institute, Canada Product Description 15-year-old Ahmad finds it hard to live by tradition among Russians and ‘Communist Afghans’ in the liberal Makroryan, known as the ‘Little Moscow of Kabul’. It becomes harder with the arrival in the neighbourhood of the 16-year-old and fervently pro-women’s rights Frishta. Naturally, their conflicting outlooks on tradition clash. Frishta calls Ahmad backward and, worse, a shameful coward, and Ahmad accuses Frishta of being a foreign agent and, worse, a ‘bad woman’ who has picked a war with half of the population and their way of life. It is 1990s Afghanistan, where a man is stripped of character if he is proved a coward, and where a woman is merely seen as valuable goods, and even a perception of unchastity will lose her all her worth. By the time Ahmad and Frishta really get to know each other, it is too late as they have seriously harmed each other, and their lives will never be the same. The mujahedeen run over Kabul, and the civil war begins, compelling Ahmad to flee to Russia and then to England. But Ahmad does not realise that one day he will be forced to return to the homeland where his past catches up with him and puts him in a situation in which he has to choose to either live like a coward, by betraying a once-loyal friend, or die with courage. About The Author SHARIFULLAH DORANI was born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan, and claimed asylum in the UK in 1999. He completed his PhD on the US War in Afghanistan at Durham University and authored the acclaimed America in Afghanistan. Sharifullah frequently returns to Afghanistan to carry out research and is currently South Asia and the Middle Eastern Editor at CESRAN International. Author's Note The idea for writing this book was conceived in 1992 when the ‘pro-Communist’ Najibullah regime collapsed and the mujahideen took over Kabul. Turning Shia against Sunni and vice versa, setting Afghanistan’s main ethnic groups of Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara and Uzbek against each other, and accusing each other of uniting with the remnants of pro-Communist members and thus not being Islamic enough, the 15 or so mujahideen groups fought each other in the streets of Kabul, killing tens of thousands of innocent Kabulis, displacing hundreds of thousands, and turning half of Kabul into mudbrick rubble with bombs, rockets and cannon fire. Taking refuge in the basements of our blocks while the gunfire, shelling and fighting continued, I decided (if I made it alive) to write about what we ordinary Afghans went through. Unlike thousands of Kabulis, I was fortunate enough to live, and 18 years later, in 2010, I started writing about the experience: after 12 years of writing (and extensive research), The Lone Leopard is the result. Ahmad, the protagonist, therefore, gives a first-hand account of what I (and most Afghans) have experienced over the past four decades in Afghanistan (and in exile).
Author: Thomas H. Johnson
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 153814929X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 781
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Book Description
Afghanistan is an extremely complex and nuanced country that has been one of the centers of imperial conflict at least for 150 years. From the Czarist Russia’s march south in the 19th Century threatening British India, three Anglo-Afghan Wars, the Soviet Invasion and occupation of Afghanistan starting in December 1979 and the resulting anti-Soviet Jihad by the Afghan Mujahideen to Kabul’s and their allies’ (U.S. and NATO) conflict with the Taliban, Afghanistan has been one of the centers of important international and regional conflicts and events. Historical Dictionary of Afghanistan, Fifth Edition contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 1,000 cross-referenced entries on important personalities as well as aspects of the country’s politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Afghanistan.
Author: Jon R. Lindsay
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 1501749587
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 304
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Book Description
Militaries with state-of-the-art information technology sometimes bog down in confusing conflicts. To understand why, it is important to understand the micro-foundations of military power in the information age, and this is exactly what Jon R. Lindsay's Information Technology and Military Power gives us. As Lindsay shows, digital systems now mediate almost every effort to gather, store, display, analyze, and communicate information in military organizations. He highlights how personnel now struggle with their own information systems as much as with the enemy. Throughout this foray into networked technology in military operations, we see how information practice—the ways in which practitioners use technology in actual operations—shapes the effectiveness of military performance. The quality of information practice depends on the interaction between strategic problems and organizational solutions. Information Technology and Military Power explores information practice through a series of detailed historical cases and ethnographic studies of military organizations at war. Lindsay explains why the US military, despite all its technological advantages, has struggled for so long in unconventional conflicts against weaker adversaries. This same perspective suggests that the US retains important advantages against advanced competitors like China that are less prepared to cope with the complexity of information systems in wartime. Lindsay argues convincingly that a better understanding of how personnel actually use technology can inform the design of command and control, improve the net assessment of military power, and promote reforms to improve military performance. Warfighting problems and technical solutions keep on changing, but information practice is always stuck in between.
Author: Thomas H. Johnson
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190911352
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 414
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Book Description
Why has the Taliban been so much more effective in presenting messages that resonate with the Afghan population than the United States, the Afghan government and their allies? This book, based on years of field research and the assessment of hundreds of original source materials, examines the information operations and related narratives of Afghan insurgents, especially the Afghan Taliban, and investigates how the Taliban has won the information war. Taliban messaging, wrapped in the narrative of jihad, is both to the point and in tune with its target audiences. On the other hand, the United States and its Kabul allies committed a basic messaging blunder, failing to present narratives that spoke to or, often, were even understood by their target audiences. Thomas Johnson systematically explains why the United States lost this "battle of the story" in Afghanistan, and argues that this defeat may have cost the US the entire war, despite its conventional and technological superiority.
Author: Sandy Gall
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1408822342
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 410
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Book Description
The most comprehensive analysis of the current Afghanistan War yet published, by bestselling writer and legendary war reporter Sandy Gall
Author: Yvonne Ridley
Publisher: Robson
ISBN: 1909396702
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 199
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Book Description
Yvonne Ridley's terrifying 10 day detainment by the Taliban regime in Afghanistan struck a chord that continues to resonate around the world. At a time when the world was plunged into a state of unprecedented chaos and uncertainty following the terrorist atrocities in the US, Yvonne faced the ordeal of her life. Captured by the Taliban as she attempted to cross the Afghan border to report on the outbreak of war for the Sunday Express, Yvonne found her life hanging in the balance in the hands of the most reviled regime in the world. For Yvonne, an unexpected survival instinct kicked in that saw her face her captors not with fear, but with anger. Her courage and gutsiness, and that of her family, prompted the Taliban to release her, glad to be rid of such a so-called 'difficult' woman. This is Yvonne's full, true story. From her capture, to the ordeal she endured at the hands of the Taliban, to her eventual release; she offers a unique perspective into a way of life that remains a mystery to many. The friendships she formed with her fellow hostages, her feelings about her captors and their beliefs, and her discoveries -- many of which surprised and baffled her -- are all exclusively revealed in detail. Yvonne's story is a truly compelling and inspirational read.
Author: Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef
Publisher: Hurst & Company Limited
ISBN: 1849041520
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 382
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Book Description
Abdul Zaeef describes growing up in poverty in rural Kandahar province, which he fled for Pakistan after the Russian invasion of 1979. Zaeef joined the jihad in 1983, was seriously wounded in several encounters and met many leading figures of the resistance, including the current Taliban head, Mullah Mohammad Omar. Disgusted by the lawlessness that ensued after the Soviet withdrawal, Zaeef was one among the former mujahidin who were closely involved in the emergence of the Taliban, in 1994. He then details his Taliban career, including negotiations with Ahmed Shah Massoud and role as ambassador to Pakistan during 9/11. In early 2002 Zaeef was handed over to American forces in Islamabad and spent four and a half years in prison in Bagram and Guantanamo before being released without charge. My Life with the Taliban offers insights into the Pashtun village communities that are the Taliban's bedrock and helps to explain what drives men like Zaeef to take up arms against the foreigners who are foolish enough to invade his homeland.
