The Warriors of Anbar
The Marines Who Crushed Al Qaeda--the Greatest Untold Story of the Iraq War
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4.4 • 18 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A riveting, edge-of-your seat account of how a battalion of Marines faced off against the most brutal of Al Qaeda at its most desperate and vicious moment--and how the Marines decisively crushed the terroristsWhen the 2nd Battalion of the 3rd Marine Regiment ("2/3") arrived in the little-known "Haditha Triad" region of western Iraq's Al Anbar Province in September of 2006, the region exploded in a storm of terrorist violence. The most battle-hardened of Al Qaeda had fled to the Triad, and, taking their last, desperate gasps for survival after years of bloody war, lashed out at the battalion with everything they could muster. The Marines sent into this firestorm of violence immediately lunged into a complex, double-edged mission: crush Al Qaeda and help the locals rebuild their terrorist-smashed lives and homes. After months of grueling, fearsome battle--and the loss of twenty-three of their ranks--the warriors of 2/3 stood tall in victory. This is their incredible story.Warriors of Anbar is one of the greatest untold stories of modern war, one of grit, incredible courage, and utmost sacrifice. It is a story that illustrates the U.S. Marine Corps at its very finest.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
To create this somewhat technical account, journalist Darack embedded with the 2nd Battalion of the 3rd Marine Regiment, known as the 2/3, during its hellish 2006 stint in the Haditha Triad region of western Iraq. As he explains, by 2006, al-Qaeda in Iraq had been defeated in Fallujah and Ramadi and had fallen back to a long-held sanctuary in the Triad. At the beginning of each chapter, Darack introduces an individual Marine as he heads out on patrol. It soon becomes clear that many of these soldiers are destined to die: by the time the 2/3 departed Iraq, it had lost 28 members, the most deaths suffered by a Marine Corps battalion since the 1983 Beirut bombings. The commanders on the scene not only clashed with the enemy but also had to overcome complications and restrictions from higher command. Darack succeeds in putting together a coherent military history of a crucial conflict with al-Qaeda, passing along important lessons learned by commanders on the ground and describing the horrors faced by the individual soldiers. Students of military history and military servicemembers looking for lessons in asymmetrical warfare will find this account illuminating and informative, but general readers may be less enthralled.
