Afghanistan: Birth of an Army

David Beeksma, Director NATO Ministerial Development-ANA Public Affairs 2010
"Edward Faircloth's photos put a human face on a complex, confusing and controversial war. Capturing the courage of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, they provide a window into a world that few have imagined and fewer still have seen."

Afghanistan has been the longest and possibly the most confusing war in America’s history with so much unseen of the country, the people, the army and those who came to bring stability.   Available now exclusively on iPad through Apple iBook, Afghanistan: Birth of an Army offers readers 350 engaging photographs which provide a deeper awareness, understanding and appreciation for the troubled land of Afghanistan.  

Introduced are vivid scenes around Kabul and the countryside, photos of the Afghan people, behind-the-scenes images of the emerging Afghan National Army and the NATO international Coalition whose heroic  mission it is to build an entire army capable of defending a nation. 

For those who seek to experience a genuine feel of Afghanistan, the book includes a never before released recording of an actual dramatic insurgent attack on the US Embassy in Kabul in April 2012, introduces mujahideen commanders imprisoned in Guantanamo for suspected Taliban connections, takes the reader into the cockpit of a massive C-17 transport jet and introduces an Afghan translator for the US Marines who rose to translator star status following his disfigurement from a detonated IED.

Among the more poignant photos is that of Farazana, a 10-year-old who witnessed the death of  5 young friends killed in 2012 by a 13-year-old Taliban suicide bomber on a bicycle outside a Coalition base.  The book also offers powerful photos of young Afghan army recruits, young Afghan female students now attending school and wives of martyred ANA Soldiers able to sell their wares at Coalition bazaars.