afghanistan

The true story of a rescue in the chaotic final hours of the U.S. evacuation of Afghanistan and how an Afghan writer and mother engineered an escape with the help of an American officer.

On June 28th, 2005, a four-man Navy SEAL reconnaissance team under Operation Red Wings was ambushed in northeastern Afghanistan -- as depicted in the book and film Lone Survivor. A quick reaction force was dispatched. Turbine 33, carrying eight Navy SEALs and eight members of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, was struck by a rocket propelled grenade -- careening the dual rotor Chinook toward the rugged peak of Sawtalo Sar. The result was the single deadliest incident in Special Operations history at the time. Commanders called on the largest element of US Special Forces, the 75th Ranger Regiment. The rescue mission: Operation Red Wings II. Author Tony Brooks gives a first-hand account of the daring recovery of Turbine 33 and the subsequent search for the remaining compromised Navy SEAL recon team -- one of whom was Marcus Luttrell, the lone survivor. The Rangers were up against lack of intel, treacherous terrain, violent weather, and an enemy that was raised to fight. Tony Brooks lived --and many of his fellow Rangers died--by the axiom, "Leave No Man Behind." He is the first to tell the story other books and films have omitted, one of overcoming overwhelming odds to accomplish a mission: to bring every American soldier home.

"Examines this violent extremism, armed conflict, and unrest, studies the reasons why it has flared up, and looks at how people have tried to resolve these situations"-- Provided by publisher.

Captain Benjamin Tupper spent a year in Afghanistan in an Embedded Training Team, tasked with training, leading in combat, and mentoring the Afghan Army to victory against the brutal Taliban. Writing and recording from a remote outpost, Tupper's dispatches were posted on the blog The Sandbox and broadcast on NPR, bringing vivid snapshots of America's longest ongoing war to a wide audience back home. Here, he takes us inside the intricacies of the war, opening up a unique and multifaceted view of both Afghan culture and the daily life of an American soldier. From the rush of gunfire to surreal, euphoric moments of cross-cultural understanding, this emotional and thought-provoking narrative is rich with humor, eloquence and contradiction. Deeply personal and darkly funny, Tupper illuminates the challenges of the war, bringing to life both the mundane and the extraordinary and seeking a way forward.--From publisher description.

Using research from contemporary letters, dispatches, and journals, author Patrick Macrory provides a gripping account of what is known as the First Afghan War.

Collection of articles defending differing points of view with respect to the influence of the U.S. in world affairs.

On September 11, 2001, the world changed forever when Al Qaeda terrorists launched an aerial attack on the United States. On that same day, Kay and Kerry Danes were secure in an embassy after a terrifying 11-month hostage situation in Communist Laos. In the years since, Kerry returned to active duty with the Special Forces of Australia and Kay turned her energy towards social justice and international humanitarianism. In November 2008, Kay faced her haunting memories of the Laos ordeal and embarked on a humanitarian mission to the people of Afghanistan. Kay and her companions drove the ancient Silk Road amidst kidnappings, suicide bombings, carnage, and chaos to bring hope and supplies to the courageous Afghan people determined to persevere against overwhelming odds.

Zulaikha, a thirteen-year-old girl in Afghanistan, faces a series of frightening but exhilirating changes in her life as she defies her father and secretly meets with an old woman who teaches her to read, her older sister gets married, and American troops offer her surgery to fix her disfiguring cleft lip.

Chart the history of Afghanistan, from the Soviet invasion to civil war between ethnic tribes to the rise of the Taliban. This war-torn country was once home to many sophisticated, educated, and artistic people. But by the late 1990s, it became an international center for smuggling drugs and precious stones and the headquarters for Osama bin Laden.

In the middle of the salt-frosted Afghan desert, in a village that Google can't find, sits a woman who weaves thousands of threads into a carpet. Anna Badkhen first traveled to Afghanistan in 2001 as a war correspondent. She has returned many times, drawn by the land and the people with their exquisite traditions. Through the four seasons, a carpet is woven by the women and children of Oqa. As the carpet leaves the village and goes out to the world beyond, the indelible centuries of art, war, and daily life woven into the carpet weaves a spell that binds the invaded to the invader.