No Worse Enemy - Ben Anderson

The war in Afghanistan is over ten years old. It has cost countless lives and hundreds of billions of dollars. Politicians talk of progress, but the violence is worse than ever. In this powerful and shocking expose from the front lines in Helmand province, leading journalist and documentary-maker Ben Anderson (HBO, BBC, the Discovery Channel) shows just how bad it has got. Detailing battles that last for days, only to be fought again weeks later, Anderson survives IED explosions and sniper fire, and witnesses the disturbing incompetence among the Afghan army and police. Also revealing the daily struggle to win over the long-suffering local population, who often express open support for the Taliban, No Worse Enemy is a heartbreaking insight into the daily struggles facing US troops. Raising urgent questions about our recent and current strategies in Afghanistan, Anderson highlights the vast gulf that exists between what we are told and what is actually happening on the ground. A product of five years unrivalled access to the US Marines and UK Forces often for months at a time and amidst the worst violence the conflict has seen this is the most intimate and horrifying account of the Afghan war you will read.