Book Review: The Battle for Musa Qala, 2007

The story of the coalition battle for Musa Qala in Afghanistan’s Helmand province is one worthy of a TV drama: political meddling, intrigue by tribal interests, desperate periods of combat, celebration of success, and the final discouragement of failure to secure a strategic area from insurgents.

Musa Qala had become a Taliban stronghold in early 2007 and an important centre of opium production. But Helmand province overall had become a hotbed of insurgency by that time and the British brigade there chose to leave Musa Qala alone as it had its hands full keeping control of the main towns along the Helmand River. However a shadowy figure named Mullah Salaam, who lived on the outskirts of Musa Qala, contacted President Karzai, claiming that he was a Taliban leader that was ready to ally himself with the government. He said that he would lead his tribal fighters to capture Musa Qala for Karzai if he received weapons. This led to secretive meetings and negotiations in the following months which excited Karzai to such an extent that he insisted that the British not only assist Mullah Salaam but in fact mount a major operation to drive the Taliban out of the town.

Despite the British misgivings, the political pressure resulted in Operation Snakebite, the battle to retake the town in December 2007. It was a tough battle that involved numerous British units, a brigade of the Afghan National Army, and a battalion of the 508th Paratroop Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division which carried out the main assault on the town. Stephen Grey, a British journalist, does a good job of drawing out this complex story of one of the biggest battles of the Afghan war, having interviewed 250 participants throughout the US, UK, Afghanistan and Pakistan, from the highest levels of government to front line soldiers who came close to death or saw their comrades die.

This is one of the important readings for anyone wanting to understand the war in Afghanistan.

Book Review: Cables from Kabul: The Inside Story of the West's Afghanistan Campaign

Cables from Kabul: The Inside Story of the West's Afghanistan Campaign by Sherard Cowper-Coles
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In May 2007, Cowper-Coles arrived in Kabul to take over as the Ambassador of an upgraded British Embassy. These are the memoirs of his experiences over the next three and a half years, as he made a great effort to try and steer the British goverment's effort in Afghanistan. It is not a book of history however but a memoir and, as such, can be a bit of slog. He describes the life of an ambassador, with all the diplomatic demands, week by week. He gives a clear picture of the daily life he had to lead and gives much credit to his staff in assisting him. He also gives a record the international effort that went on, as he flew out of Kabul back to London or to Washington or to some other capital to brief offials, or to participate in meetings that were organized to try and find a solution to Afghanistan. Buried in his memoir we get glimpses of his views on Afghanistan and his criticism of the emphasis on a military solution with the lack of strategy on the diplomatic or governance level. These views are informative, but you have to dig them out. It's a valuable book for anone intereseted in this subject but not one that is an easy read for the average reader.

View all my reviews

Book Review: Not A Good Day to Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda

Not A Good Day To Die by Sean Naylor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This Book is a good account of a battle in Afghanistan that is not sufficiently well-known: Operation Anaconda. This took place in March 2002, the late days of the initial invasion of Afghanistan when American forces were attepting to clear out the last traces of Al Qaeda from that country. Soldiers from elements of the 101st Airborne and 10th Mountain Divison were air lifted into the Shahikot Valley, near the border with Pakistan, where Al Qaeda was attempting to set up a mountain stronghold. Snipers from 3 PPCLI took part in this operation and received Mentions in Despatches for their skill and valiant conduct, but they are not mentioned in the book.

The narrative is somewhat complex and the author has tried hard to assist the reader, but there are times when it is still hard to keep all the names and actions in memory. I think it would have helped a lot if he had given names to chapters which assist the reader in folloiwng the chronology. It has many examples of courage in the face of the enemy and fortitude in facing horrible weather in the mountains. At the same time, the screw-ups in command, control and communications are depressing and one assumes the military learned its lessons from this - but it is a hard way to do so.

Overall, it is an important book in understanding the early days of the war in Afghanistan.



View all my reviews

Book Review - Fighting for Afghanistan by Sean Maloney

In his third book about his visits to Afghanistan, Sean Maloney records his experiences and observations on the operations in which he participated when he travelled to Kandahar province in the summer of 2006. The book is divided into three major parts related to the time he spent there: first, with Task Force Aegis, the brigade headquarters for Regional Command (South) at Kandahar Air Field; then with Task Force Orion, the Canadian battle group built around the 1^st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, carrying out suppression and clearing operations; and finally as he traveled with Orion’s tactical headquarters during the intensive combat actions of late summer.

Because he knows many of the senior Canadian officers and other ranks on a first name basis, this “rogue historian” lives up to his nickname by gaining full access to discussions both at Aegis’ Joint Operations Centre and at meetings with senior Afghan government officials, as well as when he joined the battle group tactical headquarters whenever it headed off into remote parts of Kandahar and Helmand provinces. The vote of confidence accorded him by the fighting troops is very evident when, as the battle group prepares to head out on one key operation, Lieutenant Colonel Ian Hope calls out to him to get his kit. “You’re coming with us on this one.” This rare access, probably not provided to such an extent to any other historian or journalist, allows Maloney to describe the events in all these operations better than any other source has done, even quoting statements made by participants at critical moments. For example, to get the record right, he even makes notes during a night fire fight by the light of a red-filtered flashlight on a field message pad in a lightly-armoured G-Wagon.

Sean Maloney earns the military’s respect by easily sharing the dangers on operations and as a result has more than one close call with death or injury. He was especially lucky to survive the last one. On returning from a major operation in a northern district of the province, the G-Wagon in which he was travelling struck an Improvised Explosive Device on the edge of Kandahar City. Maloney’s luck held and he escaped this one only with temporary deafness, although two Canadian soldiers were seriously injured and nine civilians killed.

The reader is rewarded by this unconventional historian by his ability to bring together the most complete picture yet recorded of the how the Canadian military met the challenges it faced in developing its ability to wage a counter-insurgency war in southern Afghanistan. The year 2006 was probably the most dynamic period of Canada’s combat mission, as it sought to establish an effective multinational headquarters while deploying a keen but untried battle group into a region rife with tribal politics, undefined power struggles and a cunning insurgency. How well did we do? Sean Maloney answers these questions through his personal experiences and keen analytical eye.

Canadian War Writing About Afghanistan – 2011 Update

This blog updates my previous entry listing books written about the Canadian combat mission in Afghanistan, completing the list for books published in 2011. Four excellent releases!

• Ryan Flavelle, The Patrol: Seven Days in the Life of a Canadian Soldier in Afghanistan (2011). The extraordinary personal account of a Canadian soldier on a seven-day patrol into the heart of Taliban country, fully revealing the physical strain of his kit, constant need to avoid heat exhaustion, and knot of fear when coming under fire.

• Melanie Murray, For Your Tomorrow: The Way of an Unlikely Soldier (2011). A heartfelt, extremely well written personal account of the military career and death of Captain Jeff Francis and five other Canadian soldiers, when their RG-31 Nyala was blown up by an IED in Afghanistan on July 4, 2007, and the effects of his death on his family.

• Murray Brewster, The Savage War: The Untold Battles of Afghanistan (2011). A Canadian press journalist’s accounts of his experiences in Afghanistan covering the Canadian combat mission, giving you a view of the forward operating bases, the back streets of Kandahar City, and the halls of power in Ottawa that you will not find anywhere else

• Sean Maloney, Fighting for Afghanistan: A Rogue Historian at War (2011). Sean Maloney, in his third book on his visits to Afghanistan, now joins Regional Command South Brigade Headquarters (TF Aegis) and 1 PPCLI Battle Group (TF Orion) of the Canadian combat mission in the summer of 2006. Because of his previous army experience and personal relations with officers and men at all levels, Sean is able to participate in and report on all operations to a more knowledgeable extent than any other non-military visitor could do.

Book Review: The Savage War by Murray Brewster

The World War of 1939-1945 has been called “The Good War” and the Korean War has been called “The Forgotten War;” the Canadian mission to southern Afghanistan, if one interprets the writing of Murray Brewster correctly, could be called “The Unwinnable War.” Murray Brewster spent many months there between 2006 and 2011 as a Canadian Press journalist, immersing himself in the Canadian theatre of operations as well as covering higher level political developments about Afghanistan in Ottawa and in other NATO countries. He divides his writing into 25 chapters which move chronologically through that period, the narrative being almost a series of essays from a very personal point of view about key events that he lived through.

As a journalist, he treads a line in the grey area between official pronouncements about the mission, and what he sees and hears during his travels. Certainly, the life of such a journalist is not a comfortable one: combat troops sometimes segregated themselves from journalists and resented their presence on dangerous missions; some army public affairs officers attempted to dictate what stories should be reported on particular days; insurgents saw them a targets as they travelled about independently in search of stories; and they even became targets for government officials who felt threatened by possible revelations of corruption.

While in Afghanistan, Brewster relied greatly on teaming up with a good “fixer,” that is an Afghan who could translate, chauffeur his car, and arrange meetings with local politicians and even Taliban sources. It is therefore not surprising that Brewster felt a bond with some of his trusted fixers. One of these was nicknamed “Jojo,” a young hustler who was often worked for other Canadian reporters from the Toronto Star and Globe and Mail. He was shocked in the summer of 2007, when Jojo was arrested by US military police, along with Canadian CTV reported Steve Chao, at the gates of the big base at Kandahar Airfield. Chao was later released, but Jojo was sent to the US military prison at Bagram Airfield where he was held for eleven months. When Jojo was finally released, Brewster noted that he was never the same person as before, as a result of the treatment he received. Unfortunately, Jojo seemed to have many enemies. He was finally assassinated in a hail of bullets at a traffic stop in Kandahar City after passing on a story to Brewster about corruption by private security contractors, one of whom was a cousin of Hamid Karzai. Jojo’s death hit Brewster particularly hard as he admired the young man who had liked the Western way of life and been enthusiastic in his job of helping journalists get their stories.

On at least two occasions, a situation arose in which Murray Brewster felt himself to be in great danger, while travelling about independently with his fixer. During one of these times, Brewster and several other reporters were interviewing workers who were harvesting resin for heroine production from a huge remote poppy field, when they suddenly noticed a car had suddenly pulled up to block their vehicle. “We were on our own and it as one of those moments of sheer terror, the kind that usually hammered your feet to the floor.” Without hesitation, the group headed back to their car where fixer managed, by an emotional dialogue in Pashtun language, to talk his way out of a very touchy situation. Brewster had learned his lesson by now to always have a sense that danger lurked around every corner. His very first fixer in 2006 had warned him to always be cautious. When the naive Brewster replied that the fixer was just being paranoid, the fixer simply agreed: “Yes, and so should you be.”

Savage Wars is a well-written account of the war in Afghanistan that will give you a view of the forward operating bases, the back streets of Kandahar City, and the halls of power in Ottawa that you will not find anywhere else. In these places, his keen journalistic senses dig out stories that Western authorities were not aware of; or of things the authorities were aware of but didn’t want to admit.

Remembering Richard Rowland Thompson, awarded the Queen's Scarf of Honour in the South African War

In the small village of Chelsea Quebec, a special effort has been made over many years to honour the phrase from the poem “For the Fallen” by Laurence Binyon:

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
we will remember them.

In the small Pioneer Cemetery in this village lies the grave of Private Richard Rowland Thompson, a soldier who served with the 2^nd (Special Service) Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry in the South African War. When he died in 1908 from a sudden illness, he was buried with full military honour but, unfortunately, his grave was forgotten for half a century. The memory of his grave was finally revived through the efforts of the Gatineau Valley Historical Society which restored the cemetery and has organized a memorial service on the 11^th of November each year since 1986.

The annual memorial service includes an invitation, not only to all local residents, but also to representatives from senior officers of the Canadian Forces and a contingent from Thompson’s regiment, now The Royal Canadian Regiment with two battalions based at Petawawa in the upper Ottawa River valley. On November 11, 2011, Commodore Hans Jung, commander of the Canadian Forces Health Services Group and the Military Surgeon General, and contingents from Mike Company, 3^rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment and from CF Health Services Centre gathered here to participate in that years’ service. A photo gallery from this ceremony can be viewed at Chelsea Remembrance 2011

Private Thompson’s gravesite is significant because he was the only Canadian to be awarded one of the eight scarves personally knitted by Queen Victoria for presentation to private soldiers for special gallantry in South Africa. Private Thompson had first exhibited exceptional courage at the Battle of Paardeberg on February 18, 1900, when Canadians suffered heavy casualties during a failed attack on Boer positions. As darkness fell, one wounded Canadian soldier had been remained lying between the lines where he could not be rescued. Richard Thompson chose to remain with him until help could arrive and he saved the wounded man’s life by holding bandages to his wound to keep him alive. While they lay huddled between the lines, the Boers continued to fire on them in the moonlight, at one point shooting Thompson’s helmet off.

A few days later on February 27, The Canadians were ordered to attack the Boer lines again, this time by advancing under cover of darkness. The Boers spotted Canadians about sixty metres from their trenches and opened up a murderous fire on the attackers. Again, one Canadian soldier was wounded near the Boer positions, unable to get back to safety. Thompson, now back in the Canadian trench, jumped up and, against orders of his company commander, raced out several hundred metres through Boer fire to rescue the man. Unfortunately, just as Thompson reach his comrade and grasped his hand, the wounded man died. Thompson somehow managed to get back to the Canadian trench without being hit and reported the fate of the man to his commanding officer.

Thompson exhibited one of the key characteristics of courage under fire. The most common motivator of courage has been the importance of the bonds established between men whose life is threatened in battle. Men often take extreme action to help each other survive while accomplishing their mission, sacrificing their life if necessary to help others. It is significant that, on receiving praise for his act from his company commander, Thompson remarked that he preferred to call his race between the lines as “pure foolhardiness.”

The South African War was a hard-fought struggle between British and Commonwealth forces and their Boer opponents. As the number of casualties continued to be reported back in England, Queen Victoria decided that she should create some special mark of personal gratitude for the men fighting for the Empire. To do so, she knitted several scarves from deep gold wool and included the royal cipher “V.R.I” in the design, attaching a small metal cross in a wreath to it. Private Richard Rowland Thompson was selected by the Canadian contingent to receive this honour and it is held today in the collection of the Canadian War Museum.