I have been doing a lot of reading about Afghanistan recently, and was very excited to read this book. I was, therefore, quite dissapointed at how poorly written/edited it is. I had to stop myself from putting it down (permanently) in frustration at many times.

I was first struck by the poor quality of writing. We are givenso many insignificant, mundane, and often repetitive details. I lost track of how many men had "peppered" beards or "salt and pepper" hair. Somebody get this guy a Thesaurus. I really don't care if he was wearing "jeans and a black sweater" unless it really adds to the story. Add to this, a very long list of characters, and you have a recipe for confusion. Or how about page 124 where we are told that Nelson "worried about Jean (his wife) having the baby without him while he was gone. Most people didn't think soldiers cared about that kind of thing. But Nelson did." What kind of "soldiers-are-so-tuff-they-don't" care BS is this guy pedalling. So I am to believe that most people think that soldiers don't care/worry about their wives giving birth to their first born alone while their husbands are at war? WTF!!! I would think that something was SERIOUSLY wrong with any person (soldier or not) who wasn't concerned about being gone when their wife was giving birth to their first born. I would also I would think something was quite wrong with anyone who didn't feel the same way.

More offensive, though, was the AMAZINGLY poor editing. For example, how did an editor (if there was one) not recognize the appaling sentence structure of "Dean pretty much believed there wasn't something he couldn't improve, himself most of all" on page 169 (center). Or even worse, on page 283, we are told that Herat is "about sixty miles west of Mazar", when the map opposite page 1 shows it is over 150 miles! Then, only 6 pages later on page 289 we are told that "General Dostum would afford them safe passage to the nearby ancient city of Herat, east of Mazar". Did you catch that...Herat is now EAST of Mazar - Unbelievable!

An amazing story virtually ruined. If you feel like wading through a very poorly written story, there is good information to be gleaned, but if you are the kind of person who even half-way pays attention to detail...well, you've been warned.

This truly is a riveting retelling of post 911 Special Forces soldiers and CIA operatives that entered Afghanistan and engaged in the fight against Al Qaeda. So many unsung heroes that have sacrificed love, life, and family in the call of duty- I, for one, am grateful and humbly indebted to the many who have bravely fought and faced enemies, and who would do it all over again in the name of freedom.

this book is a reminder of how much we owe these "unsung heros". This book shares the day to day challenges, including victories and defeats of our special forces working behind the scenes.

It was hard to keep track of all of the characters and their ranks. But all in all a good story that I passed on to a family member to read.

The book describes the activities of a group of U.S. special forces that assisted the Northern Alliance in defeating the Taliban. The last part of the book focuses on the Qala-I-Janghi prison riot. This riot was well covered by the news media. News footage of the riot and ensuing battle can be found on youtube. This was an eye-opening book. It covered the relevant history of the Taliban in Afghanistan, its battles with the Northern Alliance and the close relationship between the Northern Alliance and the special forces. Battles are described in gripping detail.

This title was selected by my local book club. It is not a genre I would choose on my own. I don't particularly like military books. The first 100 pages or so felt like homework. It was dry reading and felt like reading a historical text book. After getting into the book the characters began to have a more emotional place that eventually drew in my interest. I wanted to know what would happen to them and became engaged with their situations. It is timely reading given the current situation in Afghanistan and has given me additional perspective on the situation there and the people affected. I would recommend this book.

A riveting story and a must read for anyone interested in learning more about Afghanistan, the earliest days of the current war and the courage and sacrifice made by unsung military personnel. Stanton provides a detailed account of the covert military response of US Special Forces in Afghanistan following 9/11 and relays with gripping detail how quickly the US Special Forces needed to assess the situation and gain trust with Northern Alliance warlords before entering the battlefield to defeat the Taliban. Stanton skillfully weaves a sense of the extreme geographic conditions and historical context of occupation to give the reader a sense of the complexity of the conflict as it was immediately following 9/11 shedding light on the difficulties that pervade the current situation in Afghanistan.

Put it in a magazine article? That would be one thick magazine to document all the information available in the book. It not only describes the events, but the people and fighters of Afghanistan, insight into Al Qaeda and what this small group of elite Special Forces Soldier's endured and accomplished. Not to mention insight into the region, the CIA's role (Mike Spann and others) and the many military support elements involved. This was a new and unique endeavor at the time. It doesn't matter how the war turned out or what happened in another war. It doesn't matter what levels of oxygen were required on the birds. They were probably different back in 2001, or intentionally ignored. Come on, be realistic! You sure can spot the sour grapes in many of these reviews. This is an excellent book detailing historical facts and the accomplishments of many heroes. It is well written and impossible to put down once you have started. If you want to learn more about our military forces and families, the war in Afghanistan and that region, Al Qaeda, the CIA's role, etc. buy this book.

This book was for my brother in law who is a prof in poli-sci ..
As it turns out he was interested in purchasing the book .....
So worked out great !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am sure he will find the
book facinating >>>>>>>>.

This is a good book about the early stages of the war in Afghanistan. Contains facts probably not known to many Americans about how the first boots on the ground had to fight the war. Since our troops were mostly CIA and Special Forces at the time most of the information remained classified.
I would certainly recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of our involvement in Afghanistan.

It has been said that real life can sometimes be more exciting and intriguing than some of the most action-packed fiction novels or movies. Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton portrays such a story.

Set just prior to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, Horse Soldiers tells the tale of the Army Special Forces and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) invasion of Afghanistan following that attack. It ties together loose ends from this time and fills in some gaps such as the stories of Mike Spann and John Walker Lindh and what exactly happened in Afghanistan during this time.

Doug Stanton does a fine job of telling the story of the brave soldiers and agents who fought in the opening days of the war in Afghanistan. His method of describing the environment is superb. I had listened to the audiobook and for the most part I could picture the surrounding environment based on the descriptions provided.

One aspect that made "Horse Soldiers" difficult at times were the many characters and the fast pace. The core group of characters are treated in great detail, but there are many more who are not given as much treatment. When the action kicks into full gear it's sometimes difficult to remember who's who's and what's going on. In all fairness this is likely not the author's fault - it's strictly the nature of the beast - fast pace and confusion. If nothing else this gave me an appreciation of how difficult the special ops and CIA had it over there - not only do they have to worry about combat - but they have to keep a large and diverse cast of characters straight, each with their own interests and agendas!

In many ways this felt like a sequel to Charlie Wilson's War and in many ways it is. If you like military action, spy thrillers, or just want an overview and update on the war in Afghanistan, then I highly recommend Horse Soldiers.

Fifty special US military personnel accomplished in two months what Pentagon planners had said would take two years. Unbelievable? Yes. But this is a nonfiction book. Doug Stanton's dramatic true story reveals how the impossible was made possible by this handful of courageous US Soldiers.

Every American should read this book for the first hand information concerning what is going on in that area today and is likely to continue for quite awhile.

This book provides enormous insight into the mentality of the Afgan (and probably other mid-east Islamic fanatics) people and fighters. A great book.

When I saw the American soldiers on horseback in Afghanistan several years ago, I was very interested. I bought this book for my son who is serving in Iraq, but I read it before sending it to him. Only one of the Americans was an experienced horsemen. The description of the uprising at the prison and the death of the CIA agent gives you a clear understanding of what happened. The prisoners were never thoroughly searched because they might find it "offensive". This book gave me a better understanding of the tribal war lords in Afghanistan and what our soldiers and Marines are up against there.

Iam loving the book but have one issue: the word "Chechnyans" as opposed to the usual and more correct, "Chechens". I wonder why the author used this? Maybe its because Iam Russian and have never seen this strange way of referring to the Chechens, I dont know, but its as if he were writing about natives of Oregon and called them "Oregonans" instead of the usual.
Otherwise a very , very good book. Literature. Stands with Kiplings "Kim".

Doug Stanton, New York Times bestselling author of In Harm's Way wrote this spellbinding history of the early American war efforts in Afghanistan. The book reads like a well-written novel.
When the terrorists struck New York and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, the United States was not prepared for a retaliatory war or even adequate preventive measures to protect US citizens. President Bush declared war on Al Qaeda in Afghanistan the next day, on September 12. But the military had no contingency plan for war in Afghanistan, and certainly did not have soldiers who knew how to fight a war riding on horses, the way the Afghans fought, or even men or women that spoke the Afghan language.
One would think that the US could draw a strategy from the Russian experience, but this was not possible because the Russians failed. The Russians had fought in Afghanistan for ten years, from 1979. They introduced a fighting force of a half million men into the country, and lost fifty thousand of them. In fact, historians write that their defeat was one of the causes of the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The US was involved in the Russian war. The Americans backed the anti-Soviet forces called the mujahideen. The US turned a blind eye to their extremist religious views and supplied them with sophisticated weapons.
But then the Taliban rose from the ranks of the mujahideen, well armed and well trained, as an enemy of the US and of civilization.
The Taliban, who followed an extreme version of the Sunni religion, were religious zealots determined to turn back civilization to the fourteenth century, to an ancient generally imagined time that they considered the golden age, when people were ruled by the stringent dictates of Islamic law.
The name Taliban is ironically built on the Arabic talib, meaning "student" or "seeker of knowledge." These seekers of knowledge felt a religious obligation to slit the throats of non-believers, castrate them and leave their bodies to rot in the road.
They insisted that husbands paint their windows black so that no one could see the women within. They forbid women from leaving their homes without a male family escort. These seekers of knowledge forbid over 100,000 girls to attend school and the literacy rate in the country slipped precipitously to only five percent. Women, in short, were to be as pliant as cattle and as silent as stone, a thing, barely human.
The initial US reaction was to bomb the Taliban enclaves, but the bombs generally hit nothing, and the Taliban laughed at America. The US only began to have an effect upon the Taliban when they sent a unit of twelve Special Forces soldiers to fight against them in Afghanistan itself. The Taliban's enemy was a group of Afghans called the Northern Alliance. The mission of the twelve was to join with and fight with the Northern Alliance against the Taliban.
The Special Forces was founded in 1952. Its soldiers were trained in guerrilla warfare. They wore a cap with an insignia of a red arrowhead with an arrow drawn down the middle, the sign of American Apache Indian scouts.
The regular Army generals were opposed to using Special Forces troops aided by some CIA officers as America's lead element in the war. They had never used Special Forces in this way before. However, President Bush approved the plan to use them.
Their mission was to drive the Taliban out of Afghanistan and to find Osama bin Laden and his senior lieutenants and kill them; specifically, to bring back bin Laden's head to Washington, shipped in a box of dry ice.
People who want to read what happened when the US first came to Afghanistan, the many problems they faced and what occurred to the dozen Special Forces soldiers, that is told as well and as interesting as a very good novel, will want to read this book.

Dr. Israel Drazin is the author of fifteen books, including a series of five volumes on the Aramaic translation of the Hebrew Bible and a series of four books on the twelfth century philosopher Moses Maimonides, the latest being Maimonides: Reason Above All, published by Gefen Publishing House, [...].

What an amazing story of courage that everyone should read..... I am proud to say I am an American and proud of each and every one of our soldiers fighting for our freedom and the safety of our wonderful country...

Hard to put down. Afghanistan is an amazing country. The soldiers are amazing men doing an amazing job!!!

You will adore this as often horrifying as it is hilarious love letter to the Afghan and American soldiers who valiantly fought the barbaric Taliban. I always wonder about the bitter, creepy one star reviewers. Save the snark for your own mirror. The rest of us will enjoy the US soldier whose horse gave the hell-ride gift of a dive off a sheer cliff. When an Afghan onlooker admires the skill of the terrified rider, I howled. Also when the Afghan general's horse cracks the leg of the US rider behind him, it lightens up a tough read on the forgotten sacrifice of American soldiers. I feel honored to have read this gift of a book that should be Congress' 2009 required reading. A+.

I loved the book at first. Then it did seem a little off but I could not but my finger on why until near the end when author started talking about good war and bad war. Saying that some of our Special Forces men thought Iraq was a bad war. Our Special Forces heros put their lives on the line to protect our country and good war and bad war is just not in their mind set, period. Then I read about the author's friends, George Clooney and Harrison Ford and the reason became clear. Great actors but people who are against the war in Iraq, the bad war. If I had read about who his friends were I could have guessed the ending and would not have bought the book. The author used the memories of some of our countries fallen heros to further his hidden agenda. Shame on him. Marty

The delivery and price of this book was flawless. I haven't had the opportunity to start reading it yet, but the reviews I've read have given it 5 stars and say its an exciting 'must read' book.

The taking of Masar I Sharif was an outstanding example of what can be accomplished by the U.S. Special Forces. What many analysts onsidered could take two years to be accomplished took only three weeks. What made possible this success was a combination of technology, massive air power, and most of all the ability to make the Northern Alliance forces a reliable ally for the United States effort in Afghanistan. No other force in the World could accomplish this more capably than the U.S. Special Forces or Green Berets because of its specialized training as guerrilla fighters and most of all as diplomats enabling them to form a bond with the native forces fighting a common enemy. The Northern Alliance soldiers provided the boots in the ground and the bulk of the fighters while the Special Forces teams could call upon the aerial support and with the lazer guiding systems and GPS guided smart bombs rain destruction with pinpoint accuracy in the Taliban positions. The Air Force alone could not find the targets so the Special Forces provided the eyes in the ground and guided the smart bombs with their guiding systems. To accomplish this the teams had first to gain the trust of the Northern Alliance chieftains that were also engaged in internal disputes after the assasination of Massoud. In this aspect the Special Forces were brilliant and accomplished a very hard feat of preventing Dostum and his rivals to fight against each other instead of concentrating their efforts against the Taliban.

In this context the book achieved wonders, it presented in clear fashion the facts making clearer for a layman reader the very complex operations that took part in October and Novenmer of 2001, but it also provided human portraits of the actors and told the human side of the story. It was a very romantic period for these warriors riding in horses to battle but bringing the tools of destruction of the XXIst century with them. The book also humanized the Afghans fighting in both sides of the conflict and the foreign fighters allied with the Taliban especially portraying the motivations and the uncommon story of John Walker Lindh the American Taliban. It did not leave the prowess of the helicopter pilots that supplied the lifeline of logistics to the operation flying in terrible weather conditions with the ever present threat of antiaircraft fire leveled against them.

We are also presented with the uprising of the Kalang I Jing fortress in which several hundred Taliban and Foreign Al Qaeda fighters took arms against the Northarn Alliance and the Americans that imprisoned them. In this desperate battle in which American CIA operator Mike Spann was killed the balance of the campaign hanged for a while as this could have been a ruse in part of the Taliban to retake Mazar. This battle was told in all its gory and heroic detail.

In the end we are left wondering how after this brilliant campaign that ousted the Taliban from Afghan power in less than a month now after eight years the war has not been sucessfully concluded and the Taliban is again on the rise. Maybe the lessons of the campaign were forgotten and the regular army and marines cannot handle the situation as well as the Special Forces and their Afghan allies. The epilogue of the Afghan war is yet to be written but no matter the outcome the feat of the Special Forces teams in Afghanistan during 2001 will always be remenbered in the annals of warfare as a model for successfully conducting wars with economy of resources and in an effective way. In this campaign the American Special Forces were nothing less than amazing.

That American politicians and other PTB deliberately formulate restrictive rules by which US military and intelligence personnel must abide nauseates me.
To dictate that our CIA and military must not search Islamist terrorist lest the bodies of Islamist terrorists be touched by 'infidels' borders upon insanity. Surrendering Taliban hide grenades, knives, etc. beneath their robes and await the moment to strike, then murder American and Coalition forces as they did Mike Spann and his colleagues at Qala-i-janghi Fortress.
Doug Stanton's documentary in story form, 'Horse Soldiers', will infuriate and sicken you unless you are an America-hater, a freedom-hater, and/or want progress to cease.
You will alternate between the joy of reading about our sons, husbands, and fathers' courage and the shocking realization that without absurd restrictions placed upon our military and intelligence, Iraq and Afghanistan could today thrive in relative peace.
You will be sickened at the bragging words of playboy and America-hater John Walker Lindh and his suave, smooth-talking father.
Every war in which the US is involved reveals every-day men who exhibit extraordinary valor and courage when the need arises. 'Horse soldiers' will warm your heart with humor, yet cause you to emit anguished sobs, and will anger you against those inside the DC Beltway whose main aim appears to be the destruction of our excellent military and intelligence communities.
Lauds and compassion for the spouses and families of extraordinary men who perform extraordinary feats in their attempts to keep us safe and secure.

Mr. Stanton lists sources for his facts that you may check and recheck. If you do not feel horror and disgust at those who manipulate and work to destroy our nation and its true citizens, you do not deserve to live in the USA.

This book provided me with a thrilling behind the scenes look at the War in Afghanistan. This was not the picture of the battles that I had from the news and certainly not what I had envisioned. This first hand account provided a view of the personal hardships our soldiers endure, not just the battle but the barriers in culture and politics, not to mention language.

Without the book, I don't think this story would have been told.

The technology, the role of the CIA and the human interest side of the war was particularly enthralling. I loved it.

These are true heroes. Every American should be proud of these special ops guys. They are what makes our country great. I can't say enough about them. They make me proud.

This is a wonderfully written book on true American heroes. They sacraficed all for the victims of the attacks on America as well as for people they never met in a far away land. They avenged us and will never be forgotten. Especially those that gave all for this great land.

Purchased the book for my husband, and he loved it. Received the book quickly in A+ condition, and would recommend both the vendor and book. I'm preparing to read next.

A no-nonsense first had report on how the war could have been won using unconvential tactics something not especially appreciated by the career elete

If this were fiction it would be a damn good read. The fact that it is a true story is indeed astonishing. The fact that a small group of highly trained, skilled and motivated soldiers, mainly NCOs, became the catalyist in the overthrow of an intolerant, distructive and violent ruling regiem in weeks is incredible. This story by Doug Stanton is an example of reporting at its very best. The time, effort and professionalism is evident from the first page to the last. I agonized over the death of Mike Spann. I was appalled the story of "Taliban" Johnny Lindh. Was he actually a knowing traitor or just an screwed up kid with incredibly bad judgement? The teams led by Captains Nelson and Dean preformed military miracles under the most arduous and dangerous conditions while dealing with contentious and unperdictible Afghan warlords. Sometime in the not to distant future this is going to a hell of a movie. I can't wait.

Unbelievably fine book. There were never more than 250 Special Forces guys total plus 100 CIA and in the wake of the Massoud (Northern Alliance head) assasination (9/9), the anti-taliiban forces were in total disarray, starving, with no supplies or money for bullets or blankets (they gave their blankets to their horses at night). 60,000 man Taliban army with tons of weaponry and strong police force.

Very funny in spots, well-written with short-reporter-type declarative sentences.

Highly recommended.

My first reaction was we are so fortunate to have people like this. I hope the murderer, Putin, reads this. It will certainly make him think a lot before messing with us. Ahmydinnerjacket too! Is there any military on earth that can rival this? Why aren't the survivors among these people being asked how to win back Afghanistan now? If any of you are reading this now, please accept my fondest regards and deepest gratitude. Your families too! I also find it reassuring to know that there are tens of thousands of retired military commandos like these people living among us lesser types here at home.

The author couldn't help admiring these men, and does a good job describing them and their Afghani counterparts. The bit about the American traitor, Lindh, was a little too fair and balanced for my taste. The author makes a good point, however, when he repeats one of our Special Forces guys' opinion that this kind of quick victory would probably never happen again. This seems to be the case, at least for now. We are back to quagmire city, which is very disappointing, after all these people gave of themselves years ago to kick AQ and Taliban butt.

This book was 700 pages in a large print book and I hated to see it end. It's a great book! This is going to be the BEST BOOK I read all year! I just wish this could be made into a movie. It is an amazing story of a group of men who are special forces who, after 911, go to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban. I don't want to tell you too much because I want you to read this book! You will be proud to be an American after you read this. Mr. Stanton, thank you for putting this story in print--fabulous job! I also thank the men of the special forces in this book for your service! God Bless!

"Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, 'Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance.'" -- Deuteronomy 31:7

Don't miss this book! It tells of extraordinary service that all Americans should honor and respect.

In the days following 9/11, the American government made the unprecedented decision to send in Special Forces and CIA paramilitary officers as the leading wedge of an effort to aid the about-to-be-decimated Northern Alliance leaders and their forces in Afghanistan. The Taliban were about to wipe out the last remaining opposition and secure a permanent safe haven for terrorists such as the notorious Osama bin Laden. Few times in American history have so few warriors made such a huge impact on a military campaign as did the men described in this book. What was accomplished is truly astonishing and mind-boggling.

Mr. Stanton sets up the book by describing a dangerous situation: hundreds of Taliban prisoners were being kept near a large stash of weapons and ammunition while being guarded by hardly any Northern Alliance and U.S. troops. The book then moves backwards in time to provide the background for how that situation happened to occur before detailing what happened next . . . and thereafter.

As bad as that situation was, the initial insertion of the U.S. forces into Afghanistan was even more hair-raising . . . starting with impossible flying conditions.

To me, the worst part of the book came at the end, where there's a list of the Special Forces soldiers who lost their lives in either Afghanistan or Iraq. A high price has been paid by these men and their families. Seeing that we are once again fully engaged fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, it made me sad to think that so much courage and devotion to duty were frittered away while all eyes turned toward Iraq and those fictitious weapons of mass destruction.

The book is great for someone who wants to get to know the individuals and their families, something that seems called for in light of the service that these people gave to us and to the world. I agree with those critics who have noted that there's a lot of detail in here while events occurred in Afghanistan that could have been left out. The book almost seems padded out in places.

My advice is to just flip a few pages until you get back into the main thread of the story. You'll be glad you did.

It began just as the world was greeting the new millennium. George Bush was President and Donald Rumsfeld was the defense secretary with a very bold idea: a small unit of special-ops join forces with Afghanistan's Northern Alliance. Riding on horse back they sought to rid the region of the inhabiting Taliban. Like one of the reviewers mentioned, this isn't a book told from a political standpoint...it is told by the soldiers who fought, bled, and, defended Lady Liberty and bring an end to tyranny. It is reminiscent of Clarence Cage's epic war novel Ashes Divide: Ashes Divide (highly recommend)

9/11 struck without warning, forcing our troops to gather information, but because this was a new terror, intelligence was thin...forcing them to rely on old documentaries and National Geographic for the vital data. The precision of the attacks and the threat to America, our troops did not have time to plan a proper counterattack - they grabbed what little supplies they could and headed off and slipped into northern Afghanistan. One can only imagine the extent of the quarrels between the American troops and their Afghanistan counterparts. They finally came to the realization that they would need to join forces to stop the growing Taliban threat. Yet, there was one problem: The Northern Alliance used horses to navigate the battlefield, and the special-ops used heavy artillery. It was Capt. Mitch Nelson, who gave a speech that mirrored William Wallace's speech during the revolt of England. Heroes aren't created...they are born in combat.

Their first target was the seizure of the strategic city of Mazar-i-Sharif - take this city and you'll control the north. From there, they would capture the capital, Kabul...and with the north secure, they would then move south. But to give Capt. Mitch Nelson all the credit would not be accurate - Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum (leader of the Northern Alliance) was also instrumental during this campaign. Working together, they located the Taliban position...called in an air strike and critically wounded the Taliban. The story doesn't end there, however, and what followed almost lost the war for our troops. Doug Stanton does a remarkable job adding thrills to the twist-and-turns of a well-researched book - but the story is not complete. The bravery of the Horse Soldiers was a heroic way to start the war...but we can only hope it ends that way.

Like I mentioned earlier: If you missed: Ashes Divide (Four Horsemen series, Book 1) I would highly recommend this incredible tale of valor and bravery. Otherwise, you might try: In Harm's Way Both are excellent war-time novels...but Ashes Divide edges out In Harm's Way for the better read.

I had hoped this book would be good, as it has a great subject matter. The writing was poor, I had expected more. I don't often leave negative reviews but this book was not worth the money.

I am a book reviewer for BookPleasures. I am also a Special Forces veteran --Vietnam era. Following is my review of "Horse Soldiers"

The full title of this book on Amazon is "Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan" I will agree with that title and subtitle, but there's more. Horse Soldiers is the story of an extraordinary group of men who went into Afghanistan with little more than their personal equipment, superb training and courage. The U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets) soldiers were deployed within weeks of 9/11 as a direct response to the terrorist attack. They were the literal "tip of the spear," the first American soldiers with boots on the ground. In their briefings, just prior to being inserted into Afghanistan, they were warned that they might be captured by the very people they were to advise and be held for ransom, or killed.

Their mission was to contact two of the major warlords of the Northern Alliance; develop a relationship of trust; advise them on tactical matters when necessary and provide overwhelming firepower by calling on U.S. Air Force assets to bomb and destroy Taliban positions and armor.

From this reviewer's point of view, the story told in Horse Soldiers is the first truly doctrinal deployment of the Special Forces, in their primary role, since WW II. True, the Special Forces has been engaged in antiterrorist activities; direct intervention (such as MACV SOG in Vietnam) and countless--highly classified--missions. But the primary mission of the unit has always been: link up with guerilla forces; establish rapport with them; advise and provide logistical support; acting as a "force multiplier" destroy the enemy from behind his own lines.

Special note: The term, special operations has been bandied about--in publications and in public parlance--until many take it to mean many different units. There is only one Special Forces, with capital letters. These are U.S. Army units whose headgear includes the Green Beret.

The two, 12-man, Special Forces "A" Detachments (SFODs) that rode horseback with the Afghan warlords Dostum and Atta in 2001, were from the 5th Special Forces Group, headquartered in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. After these units were on the ground and their mission was well underway, additional command and control personnel were deployed to join them.

Captains Mitch Nelson and Dean Nosorog commanded the SFODs. The book tells their stories compellingly, but also details the activities of the superb Warrant Officers and Noncommissioned Officers (NCOs) who made up their teams.
In order to fulfill the first element of their mission; creating rapport and gaining trust, the teams had several special gifts to give the warlords--including vodka. They also had to eat, sleep and ride with the Afghan troops. Ride. Many of the troops had never ridden a horse. Some had only slight experience. They learned soon, and painfully, how the local troops traveled. The "saddle" was wooden boards, covered with sheepskin. The "stirrups" were iron rings set too high for the large Americans to relax their legs. Some of the troops bled through their trousers after long rides that included navigating trails three feet wide--on one side a sheer rock wall, on the other, a thousand-foot chasm.

Doug Stanton puts his "literary feet" down as carefully as the little horses. He moves through the stories of the men on the mission; the story of the wives who waited for them at home; to the story of the "American Taliban," John Walker Lindh; and the tragic story of the first American killed in Afghanistan, Johnny (Mike) Spann a CIA paramilitary officer.

Stanton's story switches scenes to give the reader an overview of the terrain on the battlefield, in the homes of the deployed soldiers and even in the mind of Lindh, without confusing the stories.

At the beginning of the book, there are listings of the major players in the story. I advise the reader--since a story of this scope necessarily contains so many characters--to mark those pages for reference as you read.

This is a superb book, told with clear language and fresh imagery. The story is even better--because it is true. It is a book that will make Americans proud of the men who call themselves "Quiet Professionals."

This is a fast paced interesting account of the first US combat soldiers to enter Afghanistan after 9/11. It details early special forces operations in Afghanistan and the ability of these exceptional US soldiers to think outside of the box. Mr. Stanton also describes the personal impact that the top secret deployment had on the men and thir families. It is a great tribute to the soldiers and their families. This is an excellent read. I highly recommend it.

After hearing Doug Stanton on a radio show talking about the book I had extremely high hopes. As I read the book it appeared to me that this was an un-edited manuscript. The stories jumped around with virtually no context or explanation. I kept flipping back to see if I missed a page somewhere. Overall, I was incredibly disapppointed with the book.

Clearly a well researched booked with lots of good stories. I just wish someone would have weaved it together a little better.

Horse Soldiers documents the courage and character of our soldiers on the front lines taking the fight to the enemy. Never forget their selfless service.

This book is a very difficult read.
So many mundane details and so little action.

Worst book I ever read since 9/11.
It's a mumbo-jumbo and absolutely does not flow.
If I could I would have gave it a BIG zero to buy.

The editor and proof reader both should be fired for letting this
bunch of words get published. Funny Doug Staton didn't say something
after he read the final proof. Sounds like a very interesting story
if it was written and edited properly.

Don't waist your money. If you would like, I will mail you mine --
FREE.
JimmyB

What an amazing untold story of the American Special Forces in Afghanistan following 9/11. They were welcomed as liberators. People lined the streets thanking this small band of Americans for freeing them from Taliban rule.

How'd they do it? Riding horses shoulder-to-shoulder with the indigenous Northern Alliance soldiers, using Civil War strategies for mounted attacks. They worked with the embedded Afghani soldiers. They considered their wisdom and experience. They fought with them in the mountains, on the trails, all the while taking great care to avoid civilian casualties and follow the cultural norms of their fellow Afghan fighters. As a result, they won their hearts and souls and gave them their country back.

As one of the two prominent warlords said, "I asked for a few Americans. They brought with them the courage of a whole army."

This is a blueprint for modern warfare.

Mr. Stanton has written a wonderful book about the accomplishments and sacrifices of the men of the 5th Special Forces Group and 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (The Nightstalkers) during the campaign to overthrow the Taliban. The anecdotes about their failures and successes as well as the personal costs these soldiers endured while fighting for our freedoms were engrossing and made it difficult to put the bood down. Even though these are the best soldiers in the world you realize they are also fathers, sons and little league coaches. A well-deserved and well-researched tribute to the Quiet Professionals.

I enjoyed the energy and excitement contained in this retelling of the war in Afghanistan. It made me proud as an American to see how much care was put into creating a better life for the Afghan people by bringing our technology and expertise to defeat the Taliban. The self-sacrifice and commitment to duty that these handful of soldiers demonstrated was remarkable and commendable. My only disappointment in the book, was realizing how far we backtracked after these brave soldiers left and our energy shifted to Iraq, allowing the Taliban to re-emerge in Afghanistan (which of course isn't a fault of the book but of policy). The book was well written and kept the reader engaged and informed.

Doug Stanton has done it again. This book is an excellent read and shows what makes the Special Forces unique from our other branches of Special Ops in the U.S. It shows the challenges and trials this team of SF must overcome to bring the battle to the taliban. This book shows the ability and resources that SF bring when integrating with the internal forces of another nation. Their ability to adapt and change outcomes of battles with their skill and thinking. Great read and would recommend this to anybody who wants a first hand account of the early part of the war in Afghanistan. Hats off to the SF!!

I heard a short interview with the author on a local radio show, and thought wow this sounds like an interesting read. When I got home I went online and purchased a copy. I was not dissappointed. If not for the wife kids and the job I would have read this in one sitting. It's that good and I'm a slow reader. Buy a copy for yourself, and give one as a gift to someone you know who is a history buff. They will thank you for it.

The book is an easy read and should be read, if only to remind ourselves that a very real, bloody, intense war was fought in Afghanistan--a war very much at the forefront of the fight against Islamic jihadists, yet cast into media shadows by the contemporaneous conflict in Iraq. But the book suffers from layman's mistakes--such as denoting a C-130 as a "jet" (it's a turboprop); referring to an AC-130 as a tanker when the proper designation is KC-130 (AC is the Spectre gunship version). Minor errors that are there because the book is written by a reporter who learned about the war, not a soldier who fought the war.

And that is the real weakness--it reads like a hastily crafted, ghost-written memoir--Stanton certainly did a good job interviewing, collating, and reporting the information, but he never really gets inside a soldier's head. Too, the proofreading failed in places--such as two virtually identical sentences ("he thought he was sneaking successfully through Taliban country") repeated within a few lines of each other. Similarly, the level of detail varies wildly, with some relatively minor firefights being detailed almost round-for-round, while another epic collision of major forces are reported in barely a sentence. All this reflects the reporter's craft-and the shortcoming of a military book written about soldiers, not by soldiers.

And I longed for some insight that a military historian would have brought to the narrative--maps of the campaigns would have been enormously informative, and organization charts would have helped visualize where the Special Forces troops played into the Afghani structure.

In sum...yes, it should be read; the Americans who went to war on an hour's notice should be recognized and remembered for being some of the best, bravest, and at the very forefront of destroying much of the enemy's might. But they deserve a better book....

It began just as the world was greeting the new millennium. George Bush was President and Donald Rumsfeld was the defense secretary with a very bold idea: a small unit of special-ops join forces with Afghanistan's Northern Alliance. Riding on horse back they sought to rid the region of the inhabiting Taliban. Like one of the reviewers mentioned, this isn't a book told from a political standpoint...it is told by the soldiers who fought, bled, and, defended Lady Liberty and bring an end to tyranny. It is reminiscent of Clarence Cage's epic war novel Ashes Divide: Ashes Divide (highly recommend)

9/11 struck without warning, forcing our troops to gather information, but because this was a new terror, intelligence was thin...forcing them to rely on old documentaries and National Geographic for the vital data. The precision of the attacks and the threat to America, our troops did not have time to plan a proper counterattack - they grabbed what little supplies they could and headed off and slipped into northern Afghanistan. One can only imagine the extent of the quarrels between the American troops and their Afghanistan counterparts. They finally came to the realization that they would need to join forces to stop the growing Taliban threat. Yet, there was one problem: The Northern Alliance used horses to navigate the battlefield, and the special-ops used heavy artillery. It was Capt. Mitch Nelson, who gave a speech that mirrored William Wallace's speech during the revolt of England. Heroes aren't created...they are born in combat.

Their first target was the seizure of the strategic city of Mazar-i-Sharif - take this city and you'll control the north. From there, they would capture the capital, Kabul...and with the north secure, they would then move south. But to give Capt. Mitch Nelson all the credit would not be accurate - Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum (leader of the Northern Alliance) was also instrumental during this campaign. Working together, they located the Taliban position...called in an air strike and critically wounded the Taliban. The story doesn't end there, however, and what followed almost lost the war for our troops. Doug Stanton does a remarkable job adding thrills to the twist-and-turns of a well-researched book - but the story is not complete. The bravery of the Horse Soldiers was a heroic way to start the war...but we can only hope it ends that way.

Like I mentioned earlier: If you missed: Ashes Divide (Four Horsemen series, Book 1) I would highly recommend this incredible tale of valor and bravery. Otherwise, you might try: Clarence Cage's novel, Ashes Divide: In Harm's Way Both are excellent war-time novels...but Ashes Divide edges out In Harm's Way for the better read.

Enjoyed this book - the author gets really detailed on the events and paints a vivid picture of the battle on the ground. Amazing how real he made the Northern Alliance and Taliban soliders, could see both groups as actual human beings fighting for their causes. Worth reading for a good story and to understand the truth behind what went on in that country just a few short years ago.