Honourable Warriors: Fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan- A Front-line Account of the British Army's Battle for Helmand

By Richard Streatfeild

In 2009 Major Richard Streatfeild and his men fought for six months against the Taliban in Sangin, northern Helmand. They were engaged in over 800 fire-fights. They were the target of more than 200 improvised explosive devices. Ten men in his company were killed, 50 were wounded. This is their story – and it is the story, from the front line, of Western intervention in Afghanistan. 

His graphic personal account gives an inside view of the physical, psychological and political battle to come to terms with severe casualties and the stress of battle while seeking the support of the local population. It is also an account of strategy being turned into action - of the essential interplay of the personal and professional in the most testing of circumstances. 

He describes the day-to-day operations, and he provides a fascinating record of the Taliban's guerrilla tactics and the British response to them. His narrative gives a direct insight into the experiences of soldiers who had to face down their fear throughout a prolonged tour of duty on the Afghan battlefield.

His narrative is essential reading for anyone who cares to understand the nature of the war in Afghanistan and how the odds are stacked against the army's success. For the British intervention in Helmand is a microcosm of the Nato-led mission launched against the Taliban and al Qaeda.

As seen in The Daily Mail, The Guardian, The Mail on Sunday, Sussex Express and The Argus, 
Featured on BBC Radio 4 ' The Today' programme and on BBC South East Television

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pen and Sword
• Release date: Apr 30, 2014
• ISBN: 9781473834804

Reviews for Honourable Warriors

[atticusfinch1048 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Honourable Warriors – Brilliant Account of Fighting the TalibanHonourable Warriors by Major Richard Streatfeild is his account of fighting the Taliban out in Afghanistan for seven months in 2009. During that time he also took part in an audio blog for Radio 4’s Today programme. Streatfield and his company were based in the Sangin Valley during a period of continuous heavy fighting with the Taliban.What this book does is describe in detail what it is like to be attacked over 200 times with IEDs along with the guerrilla tactics that he and his men had to endure. You feel the battle weariness when you find that they have over 800 fire fights with the Taliban and over seven months is absolutely frightening. We are able to see through this book the physical, psychological and political battles that the soldiers have to face while coming to terms with battle stress, battle casualties and the death the supreme sacrifice.When we see reports in our newspapers, or hear them on radio and TV we rarely see how the soldiers are coping, as we are asking our young men and women to be prepared to lay down their lives in battles they probably do not understand they are fighting. What Richard Streatfeild has brought us is something akin to the diaries and letters we get from wars of previous eras.You cannot help but feel moved by what has been written by Richard Streatfeild and our politicians should also read accounts such as Honourable Warriors and they may not be in such a hurry to send our soldiers to war. This is hopefully the start of the eyewitness accounts of those who actually fought rather than those who were mere observers.Honourable Warriors is a powerful and honest account that does not hold back and you feel the pain of all soldiers who are trying to break down the barriers to win hearts and minds as well as fight. This is a wonderful narrative account of the British Army at war with the planning and tactics to the wounded and dead.Honourable Warriors is an excellent account of the war in Afghanistan and gives the narrative from the participants who are our Honourable Warriors, unlike those dishonourable politicians who sent in to battle. I can highly recommend this account as very readable and deeply touching narrative of war.