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Hunting al Qaeda: A Take-No-Prisoners Account of Terror, Adventure, and Disillusionment (Hardcover)

~ Gerald Schumacher (Foreword)
Key Phrases: R�d-e Arghand�b, cordon team, special recon teams, Hunting al Qaeda, Captain Alan, Deh Rawod (more...)

3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

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Kindle Edition $9.99 Available for download now. Published July 29, 2005	Kindle Edition	$9.99	--	--
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Paperback $12.95 In Stock. Published October 7, 2009	Paperback	$12.95	$10.75	$12.86

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In April 2002, Special Forces Team 2085 of the Virginia National Guard were "ripped from their lives" and deployed to Afghanistan to aid in the hunt for the remnants of al Qaeda and their Taliban allies. Over the course of their six-month tour, they mounted 45 missions, captured three high-value targets and destroyed 79,000 pounds of weapons and ammunition. This volume by team members "Red" and "Captain," however, focuses more on the story of their disillusionment than on their military successes. Frustrated that Special Forces troops "were being demoralized and squandered" by career-minded officers, they conclude that "our army is a wasteful, immobile, risk-averse outfit, whose purpose is simply to 'do time.'" This, of course, is the same army that routed the Taliban government in one month and toppled Saddam Hussein in 21 days. The account is rambling, often indecipherable and occasionally gratuitous-as when one of the authors refers to 9/11: "I remember the day well." Don't we all? Sometimes, it pays to remain anonymous. Other than the fact that it airs "a lot of dirty laundry," there's not much to recommend this book.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Canadian Army Journal, Spring 2007

“In terms of physical production, I would especially commend the staff at Zenith Press for their creative approach to Hunting Al Qaeda. Most publishers eschew maps and photographs in order to save money, but Zenith chose to use color photos. More importantly, the book jacket, when unfolded, has a 1:100,000 map of the BEAST 85 operating area printed on it, making following the operations much easier. Other publishers need to understand that military history needs maps; they can learn from the Zenith approach.”

StrategyWorld.com, Sept. 21, 2005

“A rare inside look at Special Forces operations in Afghanistan ... Hunting al Qaeda makes a number of important points about the importance of speed in planning and execution, which were often lacking. Indeed, this book is likely to leave the reader with the impression that things went badly wrong in Afghanistan from the time the legions of staff arrived on the scene. It also illustrates the importance of flexibility and adaptability in the field … Hunting al Qaeda is a tale of real-life special operations worthy of Hollywood, and a stinging indictment of America’s ossified military bureaucracy. It is also the best and most compulsively readable book yet to emerge from the global War on Terror.”

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Product Details

Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Zenith Press; 1st edition (July 29, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 076032252X
ISBN-13: 978-0760322529
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds

Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #287,980 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Inside This Book (learn more)

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
R�d-e Arghand�b, cordon team, special recon teams, ford site, forward operations base, assault element, special forces guys, special forces group, team sergeant

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Hunting al Qaeda, Captain Alan, Deh Rawod, Kandahar Airfield, Mullah Omar, Fort Bragg, Helmand River, Bubble Boy, United States, Tarin Kowt, Mullah Osmani, Bravo Company, National Guard, Firebase Gecko, Doc Ken, Doc Hoss, Charlie Company, Saudi Arabia, Kandahar City, Red Cycle, President Karzai, Airborne Corps, Jan Mohammed, Northern Alliance, Big Top

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	84% buy the item featured on this page: Hunting al Qaeda: A Take-No-Prisoners Account of Terror, Adventure, and Disillusionment 3.2 out of 5 stars (14)
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	5% buy Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan: Afganistan 2001-2007 (Elite) 3.8 out of 5 stars (5) $12.89
	3% buy Afghanistan: A Military History from Alexander the Great to the War against the Taliban 3.9 out of 5 stars (20) $12.21

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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

Average Customer Review

3.2 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Afghanistan war & citizen soldiers, July 15, 2005

By	T.S. Fischer "another avid reader" - See all my reviews

I thought this was a really good book, and it contains the best explanation I have ever read of the tribal conflicts and ethnic differences in Afghanistan. The main character - "Red" - spent years there with his father, who worked for US Aid, in the 1970s, and he lays out in a chapter that are incredible reading for that history. I thought there would be more action, but the story really shows what war is like in my opinion, especially for the reserve "citizen soldiers" who are fighting this war more than ever before in US history. That's why I bought it, really...there is a lot of down time in the story, but the battles are intense and you get the sense of what it's like to be a soldier waiting for the bureacracy to OK his every move. I had thought that special forces today had the ability to act without the command BS that bogged down Vietnam, guess I was wrong. Also, the Wedding Party massacre was incredible reading - the soldiers basically refute that it was just some gunfire in the air that attracted the airstrikes that killed the civilians in that infamous incident. Also, it was depressing to read about all the Mullahs they caught and were told to let go by the chain of command, including that one Mullah who, from a safe hideout in Pakistan instead of in US custody, recently said bin Laden was in good health. Overall a good read, and when it was slow it was still interesting to read about how the soldiers survive every day in the heat, dust, and fighting in Afghanistan. Anyone interested in the war there or special forces I think will like this book. A special bonus that I did not learn until I got the book home - on the reverse side of the jacket is a military map of the operation zone in Afghanistan, it's excellent for this book but I also use it to follow battles and movements I hear about in the news.

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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What's Wrong With The Military Bureaucracy?, August 18, 2005

By	Robert E. Kenyon III "True Believer" (Connecticut) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a "hands-on", first person account of the courage, tenacity, and valor of America's Special Forces, in this case, drawn from our citizen-soldiers, the Reserves/National Guard. It personalizes and damns the way the military hierachy [REMFs] has impersonally and dangerously blunted the effectiveness of its most effective fighting forces against today's unconventional opponents for their own personal career gains. It is an excellent companion book for "Not A Good Day To Die", by Sean Naylor, which presents the same problem from a slightly different perspective. It is criminal that the military hierachy is allowed to spend enormous amounts of time and money to recruit, train, motivate, and deploy the best our nation has to offer, and then burden them with administrative, make-work assignments; micromanage their field operations; and try to smother their initiative and effectiveness. What is needed is for the military, all services, to shift field decision responsibility down to most the most effective common demoninator - the platoon/squad leader on the ground in the enemy, and do it immediately!

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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This is not a good read for thrill seekers, October 26, 2005

By	Dusty Roads - See all my reviews

...but it is a good read for war junkies who like to know the nuances of modern day combat. This book has a very hard start and tends to vilify why the army recruits 18 year old soldiers who have not formulated strong opinions about the military.

If you wish to gain insights into the minds of a more aged reservist being call-up for war in the Gulf, then this would be of interest to you. It also does a good job of pointing out the inefficiencies of the military and our war doctrine to date. The author's indictments of the military are timely yet are not unique in whole or in part over the past century of warfare.

One could become dismayed over the lack of military progress as articulated this book but it should be noted that save one, every member of the bull returned to tell the story. Not every soldier over the years could make such a claim. Good or bad, this operational outcome was far more appealing then a Gallipoli.

As for future readers of this book, enjoy the nuances of modern day warfare and remember that even if the author has an axe to grind, he is at least alive to share it with you.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Hunting al Qaeda
I can appreciate the frustration National Guardmen have being labeled "summer help", however, during war everyone has a job and everyone does their job. Read more

Published 2 months ago by PC Shelton

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
The book was short on action and long on complaining about their treatment by the Army. I highly respect the men and women serving in the military, but if they wish to write a... Read more

Published 11 months ago by A. Allen

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
I purchased this book last year and read it in a few days. As a former Guardsman I totally understood their plight and sentiments. Read more

Published on July 16, 2006 by C2

1.0 out of 5 stars They really never fired a shot
If you read this book carefully, the authors of this book never fired a shot in combat. They deployed. They whined. They complained. Read more

Published on June 1, 2006 by Author Discreditor

4.0 out of 5 stars Bureaucracy goes to war
On the one hand, I found this book really optimistic, I mean it shows "average Americans" going off to war and fighting in Afghanistan against Al Quida. Read more

Published on February 1, 2006 by John

1.0 out of 5 stars Boring and Immature
I picked up Hunting al Qaeda with great enthusiasm, and a couple hours later, by page 120, I found myself struggling to merely continuing reading. Read more

Published on September 15, 2005 by David Gideon

3.0 out of 5 stars Whining About War
When pressed, I have to rate this book 3 stars for two reasons. (1) It was a very easy and enjoyable read. Read more

Published on August 9, 2005 by J. Sheehan

5.0 out of 5 stars a real story of real men fighting in Afghanistan...
Definitely a book worth reading! With all the focus on Iraq, most have forgotten the earlier and still on-going battle of U.S. efforts in Afghanistan. Read more

Published on July 24, 2005 by Sydney

5.0 out of 5 stars I recommend this book
Great book! Has wonderful insight about SF operations and shows the ingenuity SF guys will use in the face of adversity to accomplish their missions. Read more

Published on July 21, 2005 by Zap

5.0 out of 5 stars couldn't put it down
A Special Forces soldier's life is filled with waitings and emergencies. Yes, the 14-hour drives through bleak terrain, the (sometimes) lengthy ethnic, historical and... Read more

Published on July 19, 2005 by Sock

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