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Contact: Claire Noble

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IN THE WARLORDS SHADOW

Special Operations Forces, the Afghans,
and Their Fight Against the Taliban

BY DANIEL R. GREEN
Dan Green has done it again. After what I considered to be his terrific
account of Fallujah, he's now brought us an accurate and compelling
history of the Village Stability Operations program and the Afghan Local
Police. This was one of the key features in our war against the Taliban, and
Green captures its history marvelously. Gen. John R. Allen, USMC
(Ret.), former Commander, NATO International Security Assistance
Force, and Commander, U.S. Forces Afghanistan, 201113

In the Warlords Shadow is a riveting firsthand account of an important

initiative by American Special Operations Forces to work with community
leaders in Afghanistan and dramatically improve local security; it is
impressively researched and written by an accomplished soldier and
scholar. Gen. David Petraeus, USA (Ret.), former Commander, NATO International Security Assistance Force,
and Commander, U.S. Forces Afghanistan, 201011

Dan Green brings his considerable military expertise and knowledge of Afghanistan to reflect deeply on the Special
Forces-led war in Uruzgan, deep in the heart of Taliban country. Green writes with great authority about this largely
unknown conflict and his book is important for anyone who wants to understand how Special Forces work in the field and
for those who want to better comprehend the tribal and political structures of southern Afghanistan.Peter
Bergen, United States of Jihad: Investigating America's Homegrown Terrorists

In the Warlords Shadow is a superb, unflinching look at one of the most important yet most neglected endeavors of the
last fifteen years of combat. Special Operations Forces raised local defense forces that successfully defended key areas of
Afghanistan from the Taliban, providing an important case of partnering with nonstate local actors. Simply put,
harnessing those with the most to gainand the most to loseis the right way to win today's wars. Linda Robinson,
author of One Hundred Victories: Special Ops and the Future of American Warfare

In the Warlords Shadow is a brilliant study of the intimate dynamics of the Afghan war, of its tribal elders, and militias
and insurgents. . . . Part memoir, part reportage, and part analysis, this book is a masterpiece of local history and a crucial
piece to the puzzle of understanding how to bring peace to Afghanistan.Anand Gopal, No Good Men Among the
Living: America, the Taliban, and the War Through Afghan Eyes


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Contact: Claire Noble
cnoble@usni.org; 410-295-1039

In the Warlords Shadow is a rare, insiders account into the Special Operations program Village Stability Operations
which was so devastatingly effective against the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan. Dan Greens on-the-ground
perspective, as both a civilian and a member of the military, provides an insightful look into how Special Forces and
SEALs eventually adapted their strategy to the unique demands of Afghan stability in a sea of Special Operations
memoirs, this one stands alone. Dick Couch, author of Always Faithful, Always Forward: The Forging of a
Special Operations Marine and The Warrior Elite: The Forging of SEAL Class 228

At a time when Islamic State and other violent extremist terror groups are fomenting instability around the worldand at
home, Dan Green has an answer to defeating them. In the Warlords Shadow is an honest and hard-hitting account of how
Village Stability Operations changed the game in some of the most violently contested places of rural Afghanistan. Dans
lessons come first hand from a warrior-diplomat who immersed himself in the local environment on an unprecedented
scale. If we are serious about ending the longest war in U.S. history, our politicians, policy makers, and senior military
leaders would do well to take numerous margin notes inside the pages of this book. Lt. Col. Scott Mann, USA
(Ret.), author of Game Changers: Going Local to Defeat Violent Extremists

Why is counterinsurgency doctrine more effective in some settings than others? And what are the keys to successfully
battling an insurgency that are universal, despite the unique challenges of each conflict? These are among the questions
that Dan Green answers with In the Warlords Shadow, a highly-detailed and illuminating look at COIN efforts in
Uruzgan province, Afghanistan. This well-researched, first-person account gives both historians and small wars
practitioners an invaluable resource to examine the war in Afghanistanand future conflicts that will demand the
dedicated strategies, tactics, and skillsets of counterinsurgency. Bill Ardolino, author of Fallujah Awakens:
Marines, Sheikhs, and the Battle Against al Qaeda, recipient of the 2014 General Wallace M. Greene, Jr. Award for
distinguished nonfiction

This book accurately describes why the 15-year effort of American nation-building in Afghanistan failed. Narrated in
detail by an expert, this account will be studied by a generation of officers. For the civilians in our government, especially
in the White House, it should be required reading. Bing West, author of The Village and No True Glory: A
Frontline Account of the Battle of Fallujah

Dan Greens In the Warlords Shadow delivers a vivid first-hand account of the liberation of the southern Afghan
province of Uruzgan from Taliban rule. His book is a unique combination of a personal memoir, scholarly study and
narrative history of the innovative Village Stability Operations program he helped realize. Always engaging and often
compelling, Green's work earns a place alongside counter-insurgency classics like Bing West's The Village and Stuart
Herrington's Silence was a Weapon. No detached academic or armchair strategist, Dan Green offers the striking
proposition that success in Afghanistan is actually possible, one valley and one village at a time. Dr. Kalev I. Sepp,
former Green Beret and co-author of Weapon of Choice: U.S. Army Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan


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Contact: Claire Noble
cnoble@usni.org; 410-295-1039

In 2010, U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) in Afghanistan began a new and innovative program to fight the
Taliban insurgency using the movements structure and strategy against it. The Village Stability
Operations/Afghan Local Police initiative consisted of U.S. Army Special Forces and U.S. Navy SEAL teams
embedding with villagers to fight the Taliban holistically.

By enlisting Afghans in their own defense, organizing the local populace, and addressing Afghans grievances
with the central government, SOF was able to defeat the Talibans military as well as its political arm.
Combining the traditions of U.S. Army Special Forces with the lessons learned in the broader SOF community
from years of counterinsurgency work in Iraq and Afghanistan, this new approach fundamentally changed the
terms of the conflict with the Taliban. However, little has been written about this initiative outside of the
Special Operations community until now.

In this firsthand account of how the Village Stability Operations program functioned, Daniel R. Green provides
a long-term perspective on how SOF stabilized the southern Afghan province of Uruzgan, the site of the
Pashtun uprising against the Taliban in 2001 led by Hamid Karzai, future president of Afghanistan. In the
Warlords Shadow offers a comprehensive overview of how SOF adapted to the unique demands of the local
insurgency and is a rare inside look at how they confronted the Taliban by fighting a better war and in so
doing fundamentally changed the course of the struggle in Afghanistan.

DANIEL R. GREEN is a defense fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy in Washington, D.C.
He is a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve, has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and received his
PhD in political science from The George Washington University in 2012.

Publication date: 15 July 2017 | ISBN: 9781612518152 | Hardcover & eBook: $29.95 | 264 pages

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