Afghanistan Cave Complexes 1979-2004: "Mountain strongholds of the Mujahideen, Taliban & Al Qaeda" (Fortress) [Paperback]

Mir Bahmanyar (Author), Ian Palmer (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Fortress | Publication Date: October 22, 2004

Following the Soviet invasion in 1979, the Mujahideen defenders of Afghanistan developed and reinforced many natural cave systems to use as supply bases and defensive positions. The Taliban and Al Qaeda further strengthened these positions in the 1990s. Following the events of September 11, 2001, these cave systems have once more come to prominence and sites such as Tora Bora and Zhawar Kili have featured in news headlines around the world. This title provides an analysis of these caves and underground systems, and discusses the U.S.-led Coalition's tactical approach to dislodging the enemy from these fortified positions.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mir Bahmanyar served in the US Army from 1986-89, and currently is an independent film producer and writer. He received a BA in history from the University of California, Berkeley, and specializes in US Army Ranger history. Along with fellow ex-servicemen he has set up www.suasponte.com, a site dedicated to the history of the Rangers. Mir lives in Los Angeles, California, with his Pitbull and Akita dogs.

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (October 22, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 184176776X
• ISBN-13: 978-1841767765
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.2 x 9.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #861,586 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Claustrophobic Warfare - Hunting Taliban Vermin, December 19, 2004

By 

Troy A. Lettieri "Professional Warrior" (NC, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Afghanistan Cave Complexes 1979-2004: "Mountain strongholds of the Mujahideen, Taliban & Al Qaeda" (Fortress) (Paperback)

This book gives you one of the only printed looks into this highly dangerous form of warfare. Some of the underground "sanctuaries" covered are primitive caves (Natural and man-made), water irrigation systems/wells (Karez), hides, caches and on to highly complex underground dwellings like Zawhar Kili, located three miles from the Pakistan border, which are underground villages, complete with repair shops, public relations office, garage and hotel for visiting journalists. This book goes into detailed tactics employed by the U.S. military ground forces, much of it very remnant of what the Tunnel Rats used against the Viet Cong and looks back at what the Russians failed to do 25 years ago: flush out, hunt and kill the enemy. The book also goes into detail on many of the modern weapons being employed currently to reduce the Taliban and al Qaeda's hideouts to rubble. The book is highly illustrated with diagrams, maps and photos, although the photo quality at times are not that good and very grainy. This book is highly recommended for any Grunt heading over to Afghanistan for a crash course in tunnel warfare. Over all it many not be a great book but again there is no other title out their on the subject. Bottom line, this book will make any old NAM Tunnel Rat out their proud to see their heritage continue!

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Better Than Nothing, June 2, 2005

By 

Michael Horn "mikie" (US Army Combat Support Training Center, Dublin, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Afghanistan Cave Complexes 1979-2004: "Mountain strongholds of the Mujahideen, Taliban & Al Qaeda" (Fortress) (Paperback)

Only an under-reported war in a desolate region of the world gives this book value to the average reader and the general public. Other than books and articles published of Soviet/Russian Army experiences that are defensive of their tactics and defeat, this is one of the first popular publications on the subject widely available to the American public. Previous Russian authors downplay current American successes in technology and tactics - while at the same time explaining away Russian failures using similar methodologies. While the book has value for it's unique publication - it tries to be a definitive work on the subject and disappoints the serious reader.

As a computer combat simulations manager and modeler for the US Army, the only value of this publication for me - lies in its 3 dimensional maps of cave complexes. Being able to put these generic maps on the computer allows our combat planners to wargame different ways of defeating and destroying these complexes.

One cannot take political sides as does this book and still be a dispassionate provider of information! Political comments on our national leadership are out of place in a publication such as this. The Russians are still miffed at our successes in Afghanistan (such as they are)- and Russian sources used as background in this book show through very transparently.

Modern technology, weaponry and tactics are put up against cave dwelling enemies whose defensive stance goes back to the beginning of time. Even with a full arsenal of high tech weaponry - our soldiers - "boots on the ground" still must do similar search and destroy missions as did their tunnel rat counterparts in Vietnam and our WWII soldiers on Okinawa.

This is a region of the world that holds a fatal attraction to Western Civilization. Modern armies of Colonial Great Britian, the Soviet Union and the United States Coalition have either been defeated or been treated roughly by the local warriors. Tora Bora was the US 10th Mountain Division's baptism of fire - and they finished the battle with no decisive outcome in the contest - with bin Laden escaping in the confusion. American superiority in logistics saved the day for an American Force given poor intelligence, and surviving an initial ambush. American troops - working at extreme altitudes saved weight by ditching their rear trauma plates on their Interceptor Vests - and suffered a high rate of back wounds when caught in a Tora Bora crossfire.

As experienced for 11 years by the Soviet/Russian Army, followed by the American Coalition Army from 2002 forward - high altitude in combination with a mountainous, barren, rough landscape - channeled military operations and logistics through very predictable roads, tunnels and airports - all static targets for what Ralph Peters calls the 21st Century Warrior Class - highly armed and un-uniformed transnational fighters fighting western military forces assymetrically - their strengths to our most obvious logistic road and airport bound weaknesses.

Call them the Mujahideen, Taliban or Al Qaeda, or whoever comes after - the topography and altitude determine all basis of current military operations in Afghanistan. The cave complexes are geographic sanctuaries - very much like the Black Hills of the Dakota's in the 1890's to our outlaws and renegade Indians. Easy places to hide - hard for heavily armed - logistics burdened Western Armies to get to and defeat.

With friendly sanctuaries in Pakistan and it's Baluchistani provences; treacherous warlords; a narco producing and trafficing hub, smuggling and lawlessness - the United States Coalition has a full plate - no matter how or who calls the military game. Throughout history - the native Pushtans have always had a military advantage over occupying armies.

As entertainment and an introduction to our most obscure front on the war on terror - the book has some value. Reviews of weapons systems and DOD pictures show the book's target audience needs such introductory material. The superficial treatment and "fluff" of the filler part of the book aims more at the casual civilian reader than at any military audience - but fails to give a proper perspective. Afghanistan has tortured itself for a thousand years - and our presence has now been noted into their history.

The internet has better tunnel pictures available from many sources (including some returning veterans working at our site!). The US military has already published lessons learned on weapons, equipment and tactics from the "early on", Afghan experience. It is disappointing the author failed to include this data. Winning or losing this war will not be by body count as the book surmizes. He who collects the most warlords "wins".

We will never be the ones who write Afghan history. Hopefully - we'll be better thought of militarily than by those who wrote this book!

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Background info on current problems, January 16, 2005

By 

FORT (Tampa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Afghanistan Cave Complexes 1979-2004: "Mountain strongholds of the Mujahideen, Taliban & Al Qaeda" (Fortress) (Paperback)

Contrary to another review posted here, this is an excellent work for describing the role and use of cave complexes in Afghanistan. The previous reviewer seems to feel that being critical of Rumsfeld's policy detracts from the content. The author is only presenting the situation as we know it today, including some of the misguided policies of the Sec of War. Although we may learn much more about what these cave complexes are like after the war, we will have a good view of what we thought and knew during the war when we look back at this book years from now. Some may be disappointed in how crude and unsophisticated these positions are after the media built them up before US troops went in.