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An excellent book on Afghanistan. Covers the military history
from Alexander the Great to the fall of the Taliban.
From the book: "Across the centuries Afghanistan has been an
easy country to enter; the problem comes when an army tries to remain,
or when it tries to leave." The author examines over 2,500 years of
military conquest and adventures in and around Afghanistan. Over
time the occupying armies fare badly every time. The invading
armies have found that occupying Afghanistan and trying to subdue the
mountain tribes is a difficult task.
The military misadventures of foreign armies invading Afghanistan
such as Alexander the Great, the Persians, the Mongols (and variations
of the Mongols), the British, the Soviets, and others have left
lasting effects on the memory of military historians. The jury is
still out on the United States occupation of Afghanistan. The
United States invaded Afghanistan with about 200 Special Forces
Soldiers, who - allied with the Northern Alliance resistance force,
the occasional CIA agent, and STS Airmen who called in U.S. Air Force
precision air strikes - were able to topple the Taliban army of
100,000 within two months and enter Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan.
However, several years later the situation has been reversed and
the United States and its allies are facing a resurgent Taliban.
Will it too suffer the fate of every other army that has tried to stay
in Afghanistan? This book is an good examination of what happens to
armies that stay too long in Afghanistan. The author is a
military historian and writer. |