Recounts the dramatic three-day battle for the Taliban stronghold of Musa Qala that started on 7 December 2007. With a pre-battle population of fifteen to twenty thousand, Musa Qala was the only significant town held by the Taliban at that time. Attacking against two thousand Taliban fighters, who were heavily dug in after occupying the town for more than nine months, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was spearheaded by Task Force 1 Fury: 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, of the 82nd Airborne Division.
For the ISAF Musa Qala was a target of immense importance; the Taliban had to be driven out and the town secured. With months of occupation to get ready, the Taliban were prepared to stand and fight. What resulted was one of the biggest and most terrible battles of the war.
Into the Viper's Nest
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Editorial Reviews
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LIBRARY JOURNAL
"Skillfully and sympathetically told from the point of view of the hard-pressed soldiers, Grey's book will be a strong addition to the growing literature on the Afghan war."
THE VETERANS REPORTER
"...a welcome addition to the literature of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan."
HISTORYTIMES.COM
"It took a long time for the British public to fully appreciate the deadly nature of the war in Afghanistan. Now though, through the television coverage and books such as Into the Viper’s Nest, no-one underestimates the difficult and challenging circumstances under which our armed forces have to operate."
About the Author
Stephen Grey is a journalist based in London, best known for breaking the international exclusive story of the CIA's secret rendition program for which he won the 2005 Amnesty International Media Award and formed the basis for his book Ghost Plane. He is a former editor of the Sunday Times and continues to contribute there as well as the New York Times, Guardian, Times, Independent, and Newsweek.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Outside of military circles perhaps, the battle at Musa Quala in December of 2007 got almost no coverage from the US media. I suspect this was in part due to the fact that there was no US Marine presence (no offense to the Marines but they do get more media coverage than the US Army) but also due to the fact that the high command wanted the operation to appear like something the Afghan Army played a major role in. According to the author they did not. My interest in the campaign and my previous knowledge of it is due to the fact that my son was serving in B company 1/508 during the battle. This book presents the background to the offensive, the combat experience of both British and US forces and also some thoughts on how the war in Afghanistan can be won or lost from a strategic standpoint. The book is well written and fast paced.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Stephen Grey's "Into the Viper's Nest: The First Pivotal Battle of the Afghan War", is the story of how American and Afghan forces have begun to fracture the Taliban stronghold on southern Afghanistan. Despite the misleading subtitle, it is an outstanding book capturing the nuances of international cooperation of modern combat. [I would argue the initial assault in Afghanistan in 2002 was the first pivotal battle of this Afghan War. The combination of American airpower, the Northern Alliance and fewer than 300 American special forces were able to completely upset the balance of power in the country.] After their initial eviction from power, the Taliban managed to regroup their power in Southern Afghanistan. Grey expertly tells the story of how American, British, and Afghan forces took the fight to the Taliban in 2007.
One of the most difficult things for an American to understand is that the labels can be temporary. Take for example Republican Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania who changed his political party affiliation to the Democrats. Despite years of loyalty to his constituents, Pennsylvania Democrats rejected him in his attempt at reelection. Afghani clan leaders face much the same danger in changing their loyalties from the Taliban to the new Afghan government. Except the price for losing isn't merely the loss of office - they can lose their lives.
Coalition forces jokingly compare the situation in Afghanistan to the game of "Whack a Mole". In this game, a toy mole will come out of a hole and the player must hit the mole with a mallet. As one mole goes back into the hole, two or three more moles are coming out. The combat situation is very similar - for every combat patrol to take out a Taliban leader, new leaders arise to take their place. Without a major shift in the rules on the ground, this game would go on forever.
The town of Musa Qala was an infamous Taliban stronghold, and it was in this town that the game was going to change. A leader decided he was going to leave the Taliban and join Hamid Karzai's government. With this defection, he was going to need coalition protection.
Grey captures all aspects of this story - from the conversations between President Karzai and coalition leaders, down to the details of the deadly combat to wrest control of Musa Qala from the hands of the Taliban. He tells the story through the words of the British, Afghani, and American men who were there. Zenith hired an incredibly talented graphics artist to create charts to illustrate how the battle unfolded.
I highly recommend this book for any reader looking for a tactical-level perspective on the Afghan War. This book deserves a place in the library next to "Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10" and "Not a Good Day to Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda".
One of the most difficult things for an American to understand is that the labels can be temporary. Take for example Republican Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania who changed his political party affiliation to the Democrats. Despite years of loyalty to his constituents, Pennsylvania Democrats rejected him in his attempt at reelection. Afghani clan leaders face much the same danger in changing their loyalties from the Taliban to the new Afghan government. Except the price for losing isn't merely the loss of office - they can lose their lives.
Coalition forces jokingly compare the situation in Afghanistan to the game of "Whack a Mole". In this game, a toy mole will come out of a hole and the player must hit the mole with a mallet. As one mole goes back into the hole, two or three more moles are coming out. The combat situation is very similar - for every combat patrol to take out a Taliban leader, new leaders arise to take their place. Without a major shift in the rules on the ground, this game would go on forever.
The town of Musa Qala was an infamous Taliban stronghold, and it was in this town that the game was going to change. A leader decided he was going to leave the Taliban and join Hamid Karzai's government. With this defection, he was going to need coalition protection.
Grey captures all aspects of this story - from the conversations between President Karzai and coalition leaders, down to the details of the deadly combat to wrest control of Musa Qala from the hands of the Taliban. He tells the story through the words of the British, Afghani, and American men who were there. Zenith hired an incredibly talented graphics artist to create charts to illustrate how the battle unfolded.
I highly recommend this book for any reader looking for a tactical-level perspective on the Afghan War. This book deserves a place in the library next to "Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10" and "Not a Good Day to Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda".
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By DevilDogOz
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The disclaimer before I begin is that I'm on my third tour in Afghanistan, am staioned in Helmand Province, (where the book is set), and have been to Sangin, Musa Qa'lah and the other locations that the author writes about.
Overall this is a good book, well written, accurate in it's detail and the author gets it right in terms of how we operate. The great advantage of being a media embed is getting to work with and know your subjects and Grey did that; he conducted over 200 interviews in researching the book and put the stories to paper in a way that brings the reader as close to the experience as you can get (without actually enlisting!).
There are two weak points that kept this from being a 'five star' book - maps and pictures. There's not a single map or diagram in the book - and the reader trying to 'Google' up the map of Helmand and figure out what is where will be disappointed, particularly as many of the place/village names will not be spelled the same. Same complaint regarding the action; when Grey discusses the attack on Musa Qa'lah or Sangin, a diagram showing the plan of attack and where the battalions and companies maneuvered would work wonders to help the reader better understand the action - alas, no maps or diagrams... In the same vein, the dozen or so pages of pictures are almost an afterthought - there's not a single picture of any of the characters mentioned in the book, they don't support or enhance the narrative and the pictures used appear to be US Army 'stock' footage - most have credits from official Army photographers. The pictures are from all over Afghanistan, with virtually none from Helmand, the setting for the story.
If this book is reprinted, taking the time to get the maps and diagrams into the story will make it a collectible from this war; their absence makes this just a 'so-so' work.
Overall this is a good book, well written, accurate in it's detail and the author gets it right in terms of how we operate. The great advantage of being a media embed is getting to work with and know your subjects and Grey did that; he conducted over 200 interviews in researching the book and put the stories to paper in a way that brings the reader as close to the experience as you can get (without actually enlisting!).
There are two weak points that kept this from being a 'five star' book - maps and pictures. There's not a single map or diagram in the book - and the reader trying to 'Google' up the map of Helmand and figure out what is where will be disappointed, particularly as many of the place/village names will not be spelled the same. Same complaint regarding the action; when Grey discusses the attack on Musa Qa'lah or Sangin, a diagram showing the plan of attack and where the battalions and companies maneuvered would work wonders to help the reader better understand the action - alas, no maps or diagrams... In the same vein, the dozen or so pages of pictures are almost an afterthought - there's not a single picture of any of the characters mentioned in the book, they don't support or enhance the narrative and the pictures used appear to be US Army 'stock' footage - most have credits from official Army photographers. The pictures are from all over Afghanistan, with virtually none from Helmand, the setting for the story.
If this book is reprinted, taking the time to get the maps and diagrams into the story will make it a collectible from this war; their absence makes this just a 'so-so' work.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
i was there
this is a number 1 book for me because i was in this battle and it portrays the action that was talked about in the book pretty damn accurate
Published 3 months ago by Zach
4.0 out of 5 stars
Reality bites
I recently asked a friend how his sons were doing in the military. He directed me to this book, detailing the battles one of his boys engaged in in Afghanistan. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Wardog
1.0 out of 5 stars
Bland Overview
Not recommended. While claiming to be about the battle for Musa Qala, this book has precious few pages dedicated to the actual battle and then the battle narrative is neither... Read more
Published on April 18, 2011 by Peter Atack
5.0 out of 5 stars
A 'you are there' reporting method makes this a top pick for any who...
INTO THE VIPER'S NEST: THE FIRST PIVOTAL BATTLE OF THE AFGHAN WAR is a specific analysis recommended for any in-depth military coverage of the Afghan War's experiences. Read more
Published on January 20, 2011 by Midwest Book Review
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best I have read on United States involvement in Afghanistan.
"Into the Viper's Nest: The First Pivotal Battle of the Afghan War" by Stephen Grey is the story of American and Afghan forces cooperation in dealing with the Taliban stronghold on... Read more
Published on January 13, 2011 by Jimmie Kepler
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