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At a Glance
Hardcover
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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.
Industry Reviews
""I led a platoon in combat in a different war, in a different country. Yet I know this voice. It rings familiar and true. Major Darling appreciates the complexity of his situation but writes straightforwardly about it. He strikes a fine balance between an officer engaged in a mission, focused on the task at hand, and one reflecting on the experience. Taliban Safari tells us what it was like to be there coordinating a motley collection of soldiers and police as well as the moral calculus of the leader on the ground."" - Alex Vernon, author of Soldiers Once and Still: Ernest Hemingway, James Salter, and Tim O'Brien and coauthor of The Eyes of Orion: Five Tank Lieutenants in the Persian Gulf War
""A gripping account of modern close combat in an ancient, far-off land. Paul Darling provides a gritty, close-up, and personal account of a day in the life of an infantry adviser to Afghan forces as they hunt and finally corner their Taliban foe. Provides the personal reality of modern counterinsurgency better than any other book out there."" - Lester W. Grau, author of Operation Anaconda: America's First Major Battle in Afghanistan and The Other Side of the Mountain: Mujahideen Tactics in the Soviet-Afghan War
ISBN: 9780700627844
ISBN-10: 0700627847
Published: 17th April 2019
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Number of Pages: 190
Audience: Professional and Scholarly
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Country of Publication: US
Dimensions (cm): 23.3 x 15.7 x 2.0
Weight (kg): 0.43
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This product is categorised by
- Non-FictionBiographies & True Stories Memoirs
- Non-FictionHistoryMilitary History
- Non-FictionPolitics & GovernmentPolitical ActivismArmed Conflicts
- Non-FictionWarfare & Defence
- Non-FictionBiographies & True Stories Biographies
- Non-FictionBusiness & ManagementManagement & Management TechniquesLeadership & Motivation for Management