Frontline Afghanistan

In the eight years since the launch of Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan has rarely been out of the news. Over a thousand coalition military fatalities have been reported, and many times that number of Afghan civilians. The country is in the process of rebuilding, and yet the fighting continues. Following the success of his previous book, Battlefield Afghanistan , Mike Ryan looks at the state of this war-ravaged nation as Barack Obama pledges to escalate America's military presence. He considers the current role of coalition troops and the progress being made - Fifty-one British troops died in Afghanistan in 2008, the highest death toll for any year since the mission began in October 2001 - things are getting worse, not better. The author has unrivalled access not only to commanding officers, but also to the 'boots on the ground'. 'This is a different kind of fight. We must conduct classic counterinsurgency operations in an environment that is uniquely complex. Our strategy cannot be focused on seizing terrain or destroying insurgent forces; our objective must be the population - Resources will not win this war but under-resourcing could lose it' - General Stanley McChrystal. 'Our backing of the Afghan government in its current form continues to distance the government from the people' - Matthew P. Hoh, former US Marine officer, resigning as senior American civilian representative in Zabul province, November 2009. As the death toll rises, who is right? Frontline Afghanistan provides a visual record of what is happening now plus the analysis of commanders in the field. It might help you to make up your mind.