Honourable Warriors

From October 2009 to April 2010 the men and  women of A Company 4 Rifles fought for seven months against the Taliban in Sangin, northern Helmand. They were engaged in over 800 fire-fights. They were the target of more than 200 improvised explosive devices. Ten men in the Company Group were killed, 50 were wounded.

We come in peace

This is their story – and it is the story, from the front line, of Western intervention in Afghanistan. This graphic personal account gives an inside view of the physical, psychological and political battle to come to terms with severe casualties and the extreme stress of battle while seeking the support of the local population. It is also an account of a strategy being turned into action – of the essential interplay of the personal and professional in the most testing of circumstances. It describes day-to-day operations, and provides a fascinating record of the Taliban’s guerrilla tactics and the British response to them.

OC 2 on patrol

The narrative gives a direct insight into the experiences of soldiers who had to face down their fear throughout a prolonged tour of duty on the Afghan battlefield. The narrative is essential reading for anyone who cares to understand the nature of the war in Afghanistan  and how the odds are stacked against the army’s success. For the British intervention in Helmand is a microcosm of the Nato-led mission launched against the Taliban and al Qaeda.