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No Worse Enemy: The Inside Story Of The Chaotic Struggle For Afghanistan (2012)

by Ben Anderson(Favorite Author)

4.24 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1851688528 (ISBN13: 9781851688524)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Oneworld Publications

review 1: Ben Anderson has written a truly awe inspiring irst hand account on the war on terror in Afghanistan as shown through the actions by the soldiers of Great Britain and the United States Marine Corps as they not only tried to remove the insurgent threat but also restore Afghanistan into a better nation. The book starts with an intense prologue in which Anderson is trapped in a ditch with USMC Marines and they are all greatly afraid for their lives as insurgents fire down onto them. From there it transitions into the British soldiers and what they're doing to help the people of Afghanistan. This war isn't solely based on killing bad people, but based on removing hostilities in order to help the innocent civilian population stuck in all of this mess. It is shown throughout the... more accounts that Anderson brings back from his tours that the coalition forces are building schools, hospitals, administrative buildings, and even just plain houses to repay the damage they have inflicted on the country and it's people. There is also a lot of action for the British soldiers as they are constantly harassed by Taliban gun fire and attacks. We even get to experience a tragic moment when Anderson interviews a young British soldier who has lost a friend to battle and how he reacts. One thing people rarely understand about combat is that when one member of a unit dies it affects everyone who is there and it can have lasting effects which may never go away. The Marines are even more involved in this war on terror as Anderson goes out with them many times and gets some of the greatest stories from them. One of the most memorable stories told in this book is when a patrol of Marines stumble upon and IED and have to take counter measures against it. As they go through the motions of rendering the bomb harmless they take fire from the Taliban. As they take fire a dwarf man who they take to be a kid is yelling at them and as the fight ends he ends up cursing the Marines. This story is memorable to me because it shows the things that happen daily to our service men and it is never publicized and that is humbling to me to know they are out there while we rest easy in relative comfort. I recommend this to everyone because it is eye opening to some of the more intense situations of the war so many are against. It teaches the lessons of dedication and service to others. This book has inspired me and I hope it will do the same to all who read it.
review 2: An alternatively fascinating and bleak portrait of the war in Afghanistan--bearing shockingly striking similarities to the Vietnam War and its ultimate futility. Anderson reports from the front lines and chronicles--amongst the horrors of war--the frustration of the Marines, the overwhelming obstacle of the Taliban's ghost-like nature, the ever-present danger of civilian casualty, and the constant, grating fear of IEDs. Very well done. less

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