But, for the most part, we dont think of ourselves in danger on a daily basis. The illfated american military base was in a remote afghan valley. In a new book, the cnn anchor tells the story of combat outpost keating. On that day, the men of company c, 2d battalion, 503d parachute infantry regiment, endured four hours of intense close quarters combat and mounting casualties. It occurred on october 3, 2009, when a force of 300 taliban assaulted the american combat outpost cop keating near the town of kamdesh of nuristan province in eastern afghanistan. The outpost also includes interesting character development in telling the. If you want to know what our soldiers are experiencing while fighting in afghanistan, read this book. Combat outpost keating was a small american military outpost in nurestan province, in afghanistan.
Captain dan kearney listens to a villager from kandalay during a shura at the us korengal outpost who is d a detainee in us custody is taken out from the korengal outpost via chinook helicopter for questioning. The outpost, into the fire look back at the war in. Beginning with the decision to build a combat outpost in nuristan in 2006, tapper reveals a series. Taliban kill 24 afghan troops, with inside help the new york times. The following report compiles all significant security incidents confirmed by new york times reporters throughout afghanistan for the. The outpost, an upcoming film based on cnn anchor jake tappers bestselling book of the same name, aims to tell that story. Orlando bloom and scott eastwood have signed up to play two heroes of the war in afghanistan in the outpost, adapted from cnn host jake tappers 673page complete history of the legendary. Jake tapper exposes the origins of this tragic and confounding story, exploring the history of the camp and detailing the stories of soldiers heroic and doomed, shadowed by the recklessness of their commanders in washington, d. An untold story of american valor recounts a taliban ambush that killed four u. Intense firefight in afghanistan from the talibans point. The pakistan side of the border is in the tribal region which has historically served as a recruiting and training ground for terrorists.
The outpost describes how the soldiers of combat outpost keating, far away from the nearest base and surrounded by insurgents, survived in rotten conditions while trying to reach out to the local community but were nonetheless attacked by hundreds of local men who killed eight americans and wounded 22 in. A soldier walks outside a military outpost in the village of loy mandah, afghanistan, carrying a portable speaker, in an oftenviolent area that has seen no clashes during the reduction of. Us premiere of film about battle of cop keating and latvian soldiers. The army university press books are traditional and interactive works relevant to the current interests and concerns of the us army. The korangal valley campaign was a series of military operations conducted by isaf forces against taliban insurgents in the korangal valley in kunar province, afghanistan, from october 2004 to april 2010. The story of dyngo, a war dog brought home from combat i brought a seasoned veteran of the conflict in afghanistan into my homeand then things got wild.
His latest publishing project is infidel, an intimate portrait of a single u. The author wrote about his experience in afghanistan and life in a very isolated base where showers came once a month, firefights were common, a hot meal was rare, a full nights sleep was rare, and morale was high. The ill fated american military base was in a remote afghan valley. The korangal outpost kop was established at an abandoned lumber yard in april 2006 by task force lava of 1st battalion, 3rd marines and. Afghanistan war, 2001, individual wars, nook books. Combat action in afghanistan, 2008 army university press. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the outpost. A medal of honor was just awarded to ssgt romesha for his actions in the battle. Hell is the korengal shows one very bad day in the lives of the soldiers of a2 in 2006 in the infamous korengal valley.
Jim mcknight says, its war, and its dangerous and, yes, ive lost soldiers. The militant group has attacked several government outposts since it. Film about the battle of combat outpost keating, afghanistan, the. Tim hetherington, award winning photographer and documentary filmmaker is the coproducer and codirector of restrepo with sebastian junger, which won the grand jury prize at the 2010 sundance film festival. The outpost maps physical and narrative terrain similar to war, sebastian jungers 2010 book that remains unrivaled among journalists accounts of the u. The attack was the bloodiest battle for us forces since the battle of wanat in july 2008, which occurred 20. The attack was the bloodiest battle for us forces since the battle of wanat in july 2008, which occurred 20 miles 32 km away from kamdesh. Ive read numerous books on the war in afghanistan and have come to the that anyone above the rank of caption never ventures away from the rear with the gear. Jake tapper on the outpost, afghanistan, and david petraeus. Filkins begins his book as the taliban rises to power in afghanistan, writes of the aftermath following the sept. Korengal breaks down war in afghanistan the documentary follows up on sebastian jungers oscarnominated film restrepo. Korangal valley is a valley in the daraipech district of kunar province in eastern afghanistan. In the haze in the recovery room at sibley hospital, i caught a news report about an october 3rd attack on a vulnerable outpost in an obscure.
Jake tappers afghan siege book the outpost nabbed by. Unlike junger, who embedded with troops in neighboring kunar province for eight months, tapper spent only a couple of weeks on the ground in late 2011. The result of the battle was a pyrrhic victory as most the the outpost was destroyed and 8 americans were killed and 27 were wounded but taliban forces retreated due to heavy casualties. Us troops have pulled out as part general mcchrystals counterinsurgency strategy.
What is courage korengal breaks down war in afghanistan. Though the 53 americans there prevailed against nearly 400 taliban fighters, their casualties made it the deadliest fight of the war for the u. They created the outpost over the following weeks and months, chipping away at the rock and throwing the fragments into bags or hesco barriers to create walls and fighting positions. Jake tapper has done an incredible job on the outpost. The hardfought swath of ground in this instance was combat outpost restrepo, an offshoot of a bigger outpost, and more importantly, an offshoot won. An untold story of american valor kindle edition by tapper, jake. The illfated american military base was in a remote afghan valley, and on oct.
The campaign ended with a us withdrawal from the valley, after suffering heavy casualties, and a taliban takeover of the area. The taliban attacked security outposts in dashtearchi district center, killing 12 soldiers and one police officer. It should be a day that every american knows, the outpost s. How did you choose combat outpost keating as the subject of the book. This book is wellresearched, wellwritten, and accurate. The contingent of 49 united states and 24 afghan national army soldiers valiantly defended their small outpost. Csi press publications on afghanistan army university press. New yorkbased york films has come aboard to coproduce millennium medias the outpost, the rod luriedirected afghanistan war thriller based on the 20 bestseller by cnns jake tapper. An untold story of american valor is a 4 star story of a small corner of the afghanistan war that claimed so many fine young men. Rare raw combat footage from the viewpoint of the taliban surfaced showing them in an intense firefight during an attack on a us and ana coalition outpost in afghanistan. The korengal valley is located on the border with pakistan in steep mountains and thick forests where it has served as a major conduit for smugglers for decades, especially during soviet occupation. A soldier walks outside a military outpost in the village of loy mandah in afghanistan s helmand province on feb.
The story of dyngo, a war dog brought home from combat. That was the question that echoed when i visited cop keating in 2009. Everything in the valley had to be made this way as the hills were too steep to move heavy equipment and there was little dirt or sand to put in the bags and barriers. An historic honor soldiers of 1st platoon, bravo troop, 3rd squadron, 61st cavalry regiment, 4th brigade combat team, 4th infantry division, are seen at combat outpost keating, afghanistan, in 2009. At least 47 progovernment forces and 24 civilians were killed in afghanistan during the past week, which began with an agreement between american and taliban officials to reduce violence in. Historic peace deal in afghanistan reached with taliban. At combat outpost keating, an exposed camp at the base of three mountains in afghanistan s nuristan province not far from the pakistan border, a handful of. This unique book, which studies the efforts of the united states in afghanistan, discusses potential corrective measures that can be applied to future irregular warfare and nationbuilding missions in particular and american national security affairs more generally. Having joined the army from his graduating class in lake city, california, in 1999, following his two older brothers, romesha became a commander of the black knight troops red platoon, which was eventually sent to the most remote and dangerous outpost in nuristan, less than 20 miles from the pakistan border. The outposts depot was promptly looted by the insurgents and bombed by american planes in an effort to destroy the lethal munitions left behind. Someone, somewhere, came up with the moronic idea of putting a post in a location so remote, so inaccessible, and so dangerous that many, many soldiers lost their lives, unnecessarily, the author shows. The battle of kamdesh, which netted two medals of honor. Tapper spoke to buzzfeed over email about the outpost, afghanistan, and his favorite war books.
Jones practices his golf swing while at the main kop firebase in the valley. Abc news jake tappers new book delves into infamous 2009 taliban attack on 53 u. Bloody battle at cop keating soldier of fortune magazine. The heartbreaking and inspiring story of one of americas deadliest battles during the war in afghanistan, acclaimed by critics everywhere as a classic. The outpost that never should have been in a new book, the cnn anchor tells the story of combat outpost keating. Jake tappers afghan siege book the outpost nabbed by millennium films exclusive. Jake tapper has written perhaps the best book set in afghanistan to date.
Us leaves remote outpost of korengal the remote korengal valley has been the scene of some the most intense fighting in the afghanistan war. Soldiers spend about 2 weeks at the restrepo outpost before coming back to the main kop base where they can get a hot shower and call their family. The remote korengal valley has been the scene of some the most intense fighting in the afghanistan war. The united states signed a peace agreement with taliban militants on feb. Based on the battle of kamdesh where america combat outpost keating came under attack from hundreds of taliban fighters. The battle of kamdesh took place during the war in afghanistan 2001present. Read an excerpt of cnns jake tappers book the outpost, about a brutal assault on u. The kite runner by khaled hosseini, a thousand splendid suns by khaled hosseini, and the mountains echoed by khaled hossein. He provides a window into the false hopes and visions that enabled this failed. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Ssg ty carter received nations highest valor award by harold hutchison from the november 20 issue of sof. Celeste ng, ann patchett, min jin lee and others on the books that. Told by the korenaglis that they were not wanted, the platoon turned back for the kop korengal outpost but was immediately ambush. The first sentence of jake tappers book about the war in afghanistan as experienced in an outpost on its northeastern frontier announces his.
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