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    Last 30 posts

    1. The Tribal Path : the winning solution may be classified.

      Published on July 20th, 2010
    2. Hearts, minds and the same old warlords

      Published on July 1st, 2010
    3. Helmand and Kandahar – talk at New America Foundation

      Published on June 20th, 2010
    4. Helmand: anatomy of a disaster?

      Published on June 15th, 2010
    5. An Army Officer writes …

      Published on June 2nd, 2010
    6. A ten point agenda on Afghanistan

      Published on June 1st, 2010
    7. The gangs of Kandahar – the city’s real power?

      Published on May 21st, 2010
    8. Afghanistan: Lost in Translation

      Published on April 21st, 2010
    9. Taliban’s supreme leader signals willingness to talk peace

      Published on April 19th, 2010
    10. Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, threatens to block Nato offensive

      Published on April 19th, 2010
    11. Just Cause: Unjust Means

      Published on April 8th, 2010
    12. It’s going to be quite a hunting season

      Published on April 2nd, 2010
    13. Task Force Black: a review

      Published on March 1st, 2010
    14. Capturing the Taliban: Afghan covert war

      Published on February 17th, 2010
    15. Mystery over ‘closure’ of defence ministry’s ‘brains trust’

      Published on February 16th, 2010
    16. Rupert Hamer: a good man down

      Published on January 14th, 2010
    17. Bombed, blasted and shot yet still the Taliban come

      Published on November 24th, 2009
    18. The Ghost Town littered with IEDs

      Published on November 8th, 2009
    19. US Marines at Afghanistan’s most southern combat post fight an elusive enemy.

      Published on October 25th, 2009
    20. Cracking on in Helmand

      Published on September 29th, 2009
    21. Retreat from Basra – learning the lessons

      Published on September 20th, 2009
    22. Aiding the Enemy?

      Published on September 8th, 2009
    23. MoD blocked warning that Britain faces Afghan defeat

      Published on September 6th, 2009
    24. The Fog of War

      Published on August 16th, 2009
    25. UK made use of CIA 'torture' evidence

      Published on July 30th, 2009
    26. The UK Comprehensive Approach in Afghanistan: a parody of reality?

      Published on July 5th, 2009
    27. A Lack of Cover

      Published on June 15th, 2009
    28. Libya says missing CIA prisoner "committed suicide"

      Published on May 12th, 2009
    29. Jonno the Brave

      Published on April 9th, 2009
    30. Dispatches – broadcast Monday April 6 2009

      Published on April 6th, 2009
    Older Posts »

    Operation Snakebite

    OUT IN PAPERBACK updated edition, the story of British and American involvement in the conflict in Helmand, Afghanistan Frontline combat, strategic chaos, political intrigues, the truth about the enemy, and a tale of true heroes .... in the most dangerous place on earth.

    The Latest Reviews

    "Devastating … It explains why the world's most sophisticated armed forces are being defeated by the world's least sophisticated"- Simon Jenkins, Books of the Year 2009, The Times Literary Supplement

    "One of the most courageous and important pieces of reporting of the Afghanistan campaign"- General Sir Richard Dannatt

    "Grey tells the story with immediacy, drama and sometimes anger. A gripping and moving narrative"- Soldier Magazine

    "magnificent ... a meticulously reconstructed account of the battle for Musa Qala ... frequently more vivid than any film .... confers immense authority ... "- Misha Glenny in the Mail on Sunday

    "exemplary...an uncommonly vivid portrait of battle, matched by sharp investigation of purposes, intrigues and cock-ups... " - Max Hastings in the Sunday Times

    "superb .... captures the grit and the gore, the exhaustion and emotion, the killing and the dying, the horrors and the heroism... a fine piece of war reporting ..."- Raymond Bonnner in the The Guardian.

    "Excellent" - (Daily Telegraph)

    "Exceptional"- (New Statesman)

    "Fascinating"- (Financial Times)

    "enthralling and unvarnished .... a persuasive and thoughtful account of an unwon war" -Glasgow Herald

    Illustrated with 8 maps and 65 colour photos. Join the facebook page

    Synopsis

    In December, 2007, Stephen Grey, reporting for the Sunday Times, was under fire in Afghanistan, ambushed by the Taliban. He was amidst the biggest UK-led operation fought on Afghan soil since 9/11: the liberation of a Taliban stronghold called Musa Qala. Taking shelter behind an American armoured Humvee, Grey turned his head to witness scenes of carnage. Two cars were riddled with gunfire. Their occupants, including several children, had died. Taliban positions were pounded by bullets and bombs dropped on their compounds. A day later, as the operation continued, a mine exploded just yards from Grey, killing a British soldier.

    Who, he wondered in the days that followed, was responsible for the bloodshed? And what purpose did it serve A compelling story of one military venture that lasted several days, Operation Snakebite draws on Grey's exclusive interviews with everyone from private soldiers to NATO commanders. The result is a thrilling and at times horrifying story of a war which has gone largely unnoticed back home.