One of the most critical battles of the Afghan War is now revealed as never before. Lions of Kandahar is an inside account from the unique perspective of an active-duty U.S. Army Special Forces commander, an unparalled warrior with multiple deployments to the theater who has only recently returned from combat.
Southern Afghanistan was slipping away. That was clear to then-Captain Rusty Bradley as he began his third tour of duty there in 2006. The Taliban and their allies were infiltrating everywhere, poised to reclaim Kandahar Province, their strategically vital onetime capital. To stop them, the NATO coalition launched Operation Medusa, the largest offensive in its history. The battlefield was the Panjwayi Valley, a densely packed warren of walled compounds that doubled neatly as enemy bunkers, lush orchards, and towering marijuana stands, laced through with treacherous irrigation ditches. A mass exodus of civilians heralded the carnage to come.
Dispatched as a diversionary force in support of the main coalition attack, Bradley’s Special Forces A-team and two others, along with their longtime Afghan Army allies, watched from across the valley as the NATO force was quickly engulfed in a vicious counterattack. Key to relieving it and calling in effective air strikes was possession of a modest patch of high ground called Sperwan Ghar. Bradley’s small detachment assaulted the hill and, in the midst of a savage and unforgettable firefight, soon learned they were facing nearly a thousand seasoned fighters—from whom they seized an impossible victory.
Now Bradley recounts the whole remarkable story as it actually happened. The blistering trek across Afghanistan’s infamous Red Desert. The eerie traces of the elusive Taliban. The close relations with the Afghan people and army, a primary mission focus. Sperwan Ghar itself: unremitting waves of fire from machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades; a targeted truck turned into an inferno; the death trap of a cut-off compound. Most important: the men, Americans and Afghans alike—the “shaky” medic with nerves of steel and a surgeon’s hands in battle; the tireless sergeant who seems to be everywhere at once; the soft-spoken intelligence officer with laser-sharp insight; the diminutive Afghan commander with a Goliath-sized heart; the cool maverick who risks all to rescue a grievously wounded comrade—each unique, all indelible in their everyday exercise of extraordinary heroism.
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"Fantastic! Breathtaking! Riveting! I loved this book because this story shows a side of combat and brotherhood often not seen, reported on, or even talked about. More closer to home for me, I was in Kandahar, at Kandahar air base, providing air control, coordinating aircraft, and close air support assets for the entire country during this time. The scariest calls we received were the "troops in contact" calls and this book helps illustrate why getting aircraft to our brother and sister soldiers on the ground, as fast as humanly possible, literally means life and death to those engaged in mortal combat with our enemies. I was also able to see, learn, and understand a bit more about Operation Medusa and the outstanding people involved with this vital operation. To Maj Rusty Bradley, to his Team, to the ANA, to the Special Operations community, and to all the other Solders, Sailors, Marines, Airman, military professionals and especially to the families, friends, and loved ones of our military members, thank you from the bottom of my heart for the sacrifices you have made, continue to make, and will always make."
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Adam (5 out of 5 stars)