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An illustrated study of the development and operations of coalition and Afghan Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan from 2009 until the problematic withdrawal in 2022. At the end of 2008, the clearly inadequate strength of the coalition''s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan prompted the US and NATO to deploy troops in numbers that could not be sustained long-term. This shortfall was overcome in 2009, when a newly created Special Forces command (ANASOC) in the Afghan National Army began to partner with the ISAF to undertake counter-insurgency operations against the Taliban, Al Quaeda and ISIL-K. However, while the burden of operations never diminished, many NATO countries reduced their contribution from 2012 onwards, leading to an over-ambitious expansion of ANASOC and weaker ties between it and US/NATO command. In this engaging study, former United States Marine Corps officer John Parkinson draws on first-hand experience to examine how this series of events spiralled toward the eventual fall of Kabul and the troubled, hasty withdrawal of coalition forces in 2022. Eight newly commissioned colour plates demonstrate the wide range of equipment and uniforms used by the Special Operations Forces and are complemented by a range of previously unpublished photographs.
About the author
Lt. Colonel John Parkinson is a former US Marine Corps infantry officer who served in Special Operations Joint Task Force – Afghanistan as a military advisor to the Afghan National Army
Special Operations Command. His service spans 30 years and includes deployments to Iraq, Jordan, and Afghanistan. He has a baccalaureate degree in history from Purdue University and has completed the Marine Corps Expeditionary Warfare School and Command and Staff College programs. He is a life-long student of military history, with a specific interest in infantry weapons and equipment.
Johnny Shumate works as a freelance illustrator living in Nashville, Tennessee. He began his career in 1987 after graduating from Austin Peay State University. Most of his work is rendered in Adobe Photoshop using a Cintiq monitor. His greatest influences are Angus McBride, Don Troiani, and Édouard Detaille.
