The war in Afghanistan is over ten years old. It has cost countless lives and hundreds of billions of pounds. Politicians talk of progress, but the violence is worse than ever. In this powerful and shocking exposé from the front lines in Helmand province, leading journalist and documentary-maker Ben Anderson (HBO, Panorama, and Dispatches) 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 our 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 UK forces and US Marines, 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.
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“A superbly written, considered piece of war reportage, it will stand comparison with the very best of the last half-century.”
Frank Ledwidge, author of Losing Small Wars: British Military Failure in Iraq and Afghanistan
“Hugely revealing … A brilliantly observed account of war in Afghanistan by an extraordinarily brave reporter.”
Jason Elliot, author of An Unexpected Light: Travels in Afghanistan
“Anderson deserves great credit for his achievement [and his] abundant reservoirs of sincerity, compassion and personal courage... An independent-minded, unflinchingly honest, and ultimately bleak portrayal of a doomed war effort.”
Jon Lee Anderson, staff editor at The New Yorker
“A tactile, gripping first-hand account of the heroic yet tragic efforts of allied troops to drive out the Taliban. A powerful read.”
Bing West, former US Assistant Secretary of Defense and prize-winning author of No True Glory
“Similar to Michael Herr's high-octane Vietnam War classic, Dispatches, Anderson delivers a gritty, brutal, realistic account of British and American troops on the Afghan frontlines in a bitter counterpoint to all the policy concessions and peace chatter.”
Publishers Weekly
"[Anderson is] an unusually courageous war correspondent... with humor, compassion, and a fine eye for detail. An engrossing blow-by-blow account of the nuts and bolts of modern warfare.”
Kirkus
“A tour de force. Ben Anderson plunges the reader into the reality of the war in Afghanistan in all its horror.”
David Dimbleby, Acclaimed BBC Journalist and Presenter of Question Time
“Ben Anderson is the bravest journalist I know. Anyone interested in what life is really like on the front line in Afghanistan should read this book.”
Louis Theroux
“The truth about the Afghan war, from a brave and exceptionally honest reporter... Essential reading for anyone who wants to know what is really going on in Helmand.”
Sherard Cowper-Coles, former British Ambassador to Afghanistan
"I became gripped… a vivid contribution to the record of the conflict, which left me gasping at [Anderson's] courage."
Max Hastings, The Sunday Times
About the Author
Ben Anderson is an acclaimed journalist and documentary film-maker. In a career spanning fourteen years, he has filmed, presented and produced over forty films for the BBC, Channel 4, HBO, and the Discovery Channel. He has presented five of his own series for BBC2, fronted four programmes for Panorama and one for Dispatches, and was twice a finalist for the RTS Young Journalist of the Year award. In addition, he has written for The Times, GQ, and the London Review of Books. When not reporting from the field, he lives in London.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I am not usually into war books , but I have often wondered what is really going on in Afghanistan today and this book summarises the shoe situation perfectly. It's a must read- it submerges you into the true reality of the conflict ! The style is original and eye opening as the brave journalist Ben Anderson who follows, for weeks and months on end, the US Marines and British soldiers as they carry out the biggest military operations. He's right there when people are getting killed around him, risking his life again and again. Because he is right there on the frontline, he sees what's really happening, from all angles. This gives you a broad insight into how difficult it has been for the fighting troops- and how terrifying it is for the innocent local people. Truly gripping, clever and compassionately written the book takes you through all the emotions. I'm reading it again already.
19 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By Natalie
Format:Kindle Edition
Ben Anderson follows both the British Army and the American Marines through some of the most dangerous areas in Afghanistan as they attempt to bring stability to the region. Anderson seems to become a confessor for the troops - and the truths they reveal are both shocking and saddening. Many say how they feel that they have been forgotten by their home countries, and that the real war in Afghanistan is being covered up by the media and governments who are desperate to show a stabilising country instead of one falling further into war. No Worse Enemy is a stark portrayal of the Afghanistan war that leaves you with the realisation of how little you know about what is really happening out there. An excellent piece of reportage, for both soldiers and civilians alike.
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By K. Foster
Format:Hardcover
If you enjoyed Patrick Bishop's 3 Para or Sebastian Junger's War then you should enjoy No Worse Enemy. The action is dramatic, the argument thoughtful. Although there have been a number of books on the Afghan conflict No Worse Enemy brings things up to date - and the book provides a new take on things by having a British journalist spend so much time with the US Marines (as well as UK troops). No Worse Enemy paints a bleak past, present and future in regards to the war in Afghanistan - but the book is worth reading because of its honesty.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
It's ok
This book is ok but very negative towards coalition forces. The fundamental problems of Afghanistan are not the fault of Isaf. Read more
Published 13 days ago by Rory Neill
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping, sad, depressing...
Having made do with the version of events provided by the politicians over the past few years, this is the first time that I have heard about the war in Afghanistan from someone on... Read more
Published 2 months ago by W.Robinson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must Read
We are lied to by the government. Only by reading these first hand accounts do we discover the truth about what our troops go through on our behalf. Read more
Published 3 months ago by hodge
5.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful stuff
Highly recommended to view the Afghan war from the ground, where all of the action is
A great read and Anderson's account is gripping
A great read and Anderson's account is gripping
Published 4 months ago by Robert
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read this is you really want to know what's happening in Afghanistan
Well written, illuminating book about the reality of the war in Afghanistan, the repeated mistakes are staggering as well is the failure of some of the key players to see what is... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Neil McCann
4.0 out of 5 stars
An insight
An updated insight in the conflict.
I would recommend 'The Life of Sir Frederick Roberts' or 'Forty One Years in India 'where similar problems and victories where won by the... Read more
I would recommend 'The Life of Sir Frederick Roberts' or 'Forty One Years in India 'where similar problems and victories where won by the... Read more
Published 5 months ago by G. Gibbs
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Neocon Tragedy
This is a riveting and all too true account of the war in Afghanistan, a war that has already lasted longer than the two world wars added together. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Dr B Clayton
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, realistic account of the war in Afghanistan
Journalist Ben Anderson has been visiting Afghanistan since the summer of 2007. He notes, "on each visit I was told that the Taliban were on their last legs, the Afghans were... Read more
Published 8 months ago by William Podmore
2.0 out of 5 stars
Afghanistan is the new Vietnam
The working thesis of this book is: Afghanistan is the new Vietnam, and those who are involved in the war are either incompetent, or purposefully incompetent. Read more
Published 12 months ago by G. Russell
5.0 out of 5 stars
Essential reading
Great book, more of a memoir but the essentially plain narrative belies the picture that is painted. Read more
Published 12 months ago by AndyA
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