Shadow Wars: Special Forces in the New Battle Against Terrorism [Paperback]

David Pugliese (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2003

Special forces units around the world have played a critical, though often secretive, role since war was declared on global terrorism following the September 11 attacks on the United States.

Now, through compelling narrative and explosive photos, "Shadow Wars" reveals how these units are leading the fight.

From the rugged mountains of Afghanistan to the vast deserts of Iraq, "Shadow Wars" details operations by U.S. Army Green Berets and Delta Force, U.S. Navy SEALs, Air Force and CIA special operations troops, along with Australia’s Special Air Service, the British SAS and SBS, Poland’s GROM, and Canada’s JTF2. Also recounted is the highly-controversial raid by Russia’s Alpha Group to rescue hostages held by Chechen terrorists in Moscow in the fall of 2002.

For the first time, "Shadow Wars" brings together more than 80 photos of special forces in action in the war against terrorism, some never before made public.

Author David Pugliese uncovered the inner workings of the Canadian military’s Joint Task Force Two, and once again offers a must-read for anyone interested in learning more about the world of covert warfare.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Pugliese, a journalist with the "Ottawa Citizen" newspaper, has been writing about military affairs and the Canadian Armed Forces since 1982. His reporting on defence issues earned him a National Newspaper Award in 2002.

Since 1990, he has also been a correspondent for the U.S. publication "Defense News". Pugliese’s freelance articles on military issues have appeared in more than a dozen publications, including "Armed Forces Journal International", "Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists", "Training and Simulation Journal", "International Combat Arms", and "National Defense Magazine".

David Pugliese is also the author of the Canadian bestseller "Canada’s Secret Commandos: The Unauthorized Story of Joint Task Force Two".

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Esprit de Corps Books (October 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 189589624X
• ISBN-13: 978-1895896244
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,397,766 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

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise and timely- Your Situation Report on Special Ops., October 8, 2004

By 

Thomas Demerly ": Founder, Bikesport, Inc." (Dearborn, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shadow Wars: Special Forces in the New Battle Against Terrorism (Paperback)

David Pugliese gives you the P.D.B. (Presidential Daily Briefing) digest of Special Operations in the recent campaign aginst terror. While the closing chapters are peppered with his political commentary on America's incursion into Iraq, his reporting on operations conducted by the elite forces of the world is a nice, tiddy historical record. The photos are interesting and it is an entertaining read for the history, military and special operations enthusiast. I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it- a fine addition to your military library.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cool Book on Special Forces JTF2 Delta Force SAS et al, June 3, 2004

By 

Gary Martell "garymaster1" (ottawa, ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shadow Wars: Special Forces in the New Battle Against Terrorism (Paperback)

Lots of information on SOF units in Iraq and Afghanistan, this book reads well and is jammed with pretty interesting photos. It includes almost 100 images including never before seen photos of Canada's Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2) in Afghanistan (which for me as a Canadian was worth the price of the book). Also included are pics of JTF2 Hummers and mountain operations,descriptions of their operations as well as Navy SEALs, Grom and a large chapter on the Aussie SAS (who come across really well as no-nonsense professionals.) There is also a good blow by blow account of the Moscow raid against Chechen terrorists in 2002. Up to date and worth the price.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Read, October 26, 2005

By 

D. Cooley (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shadow Wars: Special Forces in the New Battle Against Terrorism (Paperback)

This book is a good read. It does an excellent job of comparing SOFs from several countries, particularly the U.S., Canada, and Australia, including discussing differences in their equipment and operating philosophies. It told me several things about SOF operations in Afghanistan and Iraq that I had not read about elsewhere, and did a better job of describing a couple I knew about than I have read elsewhere.