The Hardest Place: The American Military Adrift in Afghanistan's Pech Valley
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- Create Date：2021-08-19 09:55:43
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Wesley Morgan
- ISBN：0812995066
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Summary
When we think of the war in Afghanistan， chances are we’re thinking of a small， remote corner of the country where American military action has been concentrated: the Pech and its tributary valleys in Kunar and Nuristan provinces。 The rugged， steep terrain and thick forests made the region a natural hiding spot for targets in the American war on terror， from Osama bin Laden to the Islamic State， and it has been the site of constant U。S。 military activity for nearly two decades。 Even as the U。S。 presence in Afghanistan transitions to a drone war， the Pech has remained at the center of it， a testbed for a new method of remote warfare。
Wesley Morgan first visited the Pech in 2010， while he was still a college student embedding with military units as a freelancer。 By then， the Pech and its infamous tributary the Korengal had become emblematic of the war， but Morgan found that few of the troops fighting there could explain why their remote outposts had been built。 In The Hardest Place， he unravels the history those troops didn’t know， captures the culture and reality of the war through both American and Afghan eyes， and reports on the snowballing American missteps that made each unit’s job harder than the last as storied outfits like Marines， paratroopers， Rangers， Green Berets， and SEALs all took their turn。
Through reporting trips， hundreds of interviews with Americans and Afghans， and documentary research， Morgan writes vividly of large-scale missions gone awry， years-long hunts for single individuals， and the soldiers， Marines， commandos， and intelligence operatives who cycle through， along with several who return again and again to the same slowly evolving fight。
As the war drags on through its fourth presidential administration， Morgan concludes that we’ve created a status quo that could last forever in the Pech， with the military and intelligence agencies always in search of the next target。
Wesley Morgan first visited the Pech in 2010， while he was still a college student embedding with military units as a freelancer。 By then， the Pech and its infamous tributary the Korengal had become emblematic of the war， but Morgan found that few of the troops fighting there could explain why their remote outposts had been built。 In The Hardest Place， he unravels the history those troops didn’t know， captures the culture and reality of the war through both American and Afghan eyes， and reports on the snowballing American missteps that made each unit’s job harder than the last as storied outfits like Marines， paratroopers， Rangers， Green Berets， and SEALs all took their turn。
Through reporting trips， hundreds of interviews with Americans and Afghans， and documentary research， Morgan writes vividly of large-scale missions gone awry， years-long hunts for single individuals， and the soldiers， Marines， commandos， and intelligence operatives who cycle through， along with several who return again and again to the same slowly evolving fight。
As the war drags on through its fourth presidential administration， Morgan concludes that we’ve created a status quo that could last forever in the Pech， with the military and intelligence agencies always in search of the next target。
Reviews
Adam McDade
，
A long slow slog at times。 This was a hard read， made much harder as I finished it while watching the Taliban roll into Kabul tonight。 The fighting in the Korengal valley has seemed futile throughout the war in Afghanistan。 Tonight it seems that much of it WAS futile。
Christopher Elliott
，
The best book I’ve read about Afghanistan。
PottWab Regional Library
，
O
Brent
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A comprehensive and longitudinal study of one of the most difficult operational environments for the US military in recent memory。 I think this will be an essential read for many years and Mr。 Morgan has done an incredible job here chronicling the US adventure in the Pech and surrounding valleys。
Yigal Zur
，
i was the only Israeli journalist embedded with USA desert storm Iraq and combined with being an officer of Idf and soldier in Yom Kippur war and a writer all together i try to read much mainly on soldiers in other armys experiences。 so i will top this book as one of the best due to its research， due to giving the voices to fighters on both sides， to the detailed descriptions。 what i was amazed is how the same mistakes are done over and over again with involvement in wars which get muddier。
Henry Jameson
，
In The Hardest Place: The American Military Adrift in Afghanistan’s Pech Valley， Wesley Morgan has written a 672 page account of the Sisyphean task that the US unwittingly set for itself in Afghanistan after 9/11。 Bin Laden and other key Al Qaeda members had used Afghanistan as a base and were still there on 9/12。 The U。S。 quickly demolished the Taliban government， but bin Laden and the key al Qaeda figures escaped to （and remained in） Pakistan。 Twenty years later， the Americans are finally with In The Hardest Place: The American Military Adrift in Afghanistan’s Pech Valley， Wesley Morgan has written a 672 page account of the Sisyphean task that the US unwittingly set for itself in Afghanistan after 9/11。 Bin Laden and other key Al Qaeda members had used Afghanistan as a base and were still there on 9/12。 The U。S。 quickly demolished the Taliban government， but bin Laden and the key al Qaeda figures escaped to （and remained in） Pakistan。 Twenty years later， the Americans are finally withdrawing from the war against the Afghan Taliban that ensued。In his prodigiously researched book， Morgan focuses on small unit infantry actions in the Pech and Waygal valleys over a ten year period。 Due to the rotation schedules， a new U。S。 unit was inserted every eight months or so， thus sacrificing the local knowledge that had been acquired by the departing unit。 Each new unit effectively started anew， and each new commander had a slightly different strategy to try to end the Taliban presence in the region。 None worked。 Rinse and repeat every eight months。 Morgan details ten years of small unit battles and strategies in this one remote area of the country。 He amply documents the bravery and tenacity of the soldiers involved。 The trouble was that what began as an effort to capture the Al Qaeda leaders devolved into a war against the Taliban – Islamic fundamentalists， to be sure， and vicious ones， but not the ones who attacked us。 What began as a military operation to capture the Al Qaeda brain trust degenerated into a twenty year war against the Taliban Islamists – us against the Afghans。 Mission creep。 This book is a marvel of reportage and should be required reading for all those in position to commit our military forces to combat。 It should also remind us as citizens that we should be very careful indeed to insure that our leaders only commit our armed forces to tasks that they can in fact accomplish。 。。。more
David
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The finest military history I've read in decades。It's powerful and frustrating and heartbreaking and doesn't shy from the hard questions。 It's a testimony to bravery and courage of soldiers that doesn't paper over their violence， mistakes， or flaws。 It has something for every observer of war， whether you're a civilian at home just trying to understand what combat in Afghanistan was like or a policymaker trying to understand how political goals and objectives do （or do not） get translated to acti The finest military history I've read in decades。It's powerful and frustrating and heartbreaking and doesn't shy from the hard questions。 It's a testimony to bravery and courage of soldiers that doesn't paper over their violence， mistakes， or flaws。 It has something for every observer of war， whether you're a civilian at home just trying to understand what combat in Afghanistan was like or a policymaker trying to understand how political goals and objectives do （or do not） get translated to action at the ground level or a military planner trying to glean lessons at the tactical， operational， or strategic levels。 It's well-written enough to be understandable for the average reader， but deep enough to where even a twenty year Army veteran like myself doesn't find terminology used incorrectly or organizations and command relationships confused。 If there's anything I predict people would find fault with it's that it doesn't offer much of a sense of closure--what did it all mean？ What comes next？ Did we do harm or good， right or wrong in the Pech Valley （and， by extension， Afghanistan writ large）？ And to that I'd say， that at least from this veteran's perspective， that's exactly what the War felt like， and we won't know the answer to those questions until decades from now--if ever。 That lack of closure is just real life。 Read this book。 。。。more
Sergio Gutierrez
，
You could just feel the camaraderie oozing out in the events that left soldiers stagnant but optimistic on their missions in Afghanistan。 I live in California and for much of the last decade I've seen rain become scarce。 Reading that Afghanistan has luscious forests drenched in rain and snow， I get envious。 It's amazing how many promises were broken between the two colliding cultures at war。 Money flows in unusual ways into Afghanistan。 You could just feel the camaraderie oozing out in the events that left soldiers stagnant but optimistic on their missions in Afghanistan。 I live in California and for much of the last decade I've seen rain become scarce。 Reading that Afghanistan has luscious forests drenched in rain and snow， I get envious。 It's amazing how many promises were broken between the two colliding cultures at war。 Money flows in unusual ways into Afghanistan。 。。。more
Mof
，
Reading this confirms that Biden made the right choice to end US military engagement t in Afghanistan。 We do not know how to fight and win these wars。
Damon T。
，
Excellent book。 Well researched， well written， comprehensive telling of a very complicated picture。
Book Clubbed，
，
The book， for better or worse， is a portrait of the Pech Valley and the decades we spent there， skirmishing our way to stalemate after stalemate。 It is not a traditional narrative。 Mark Wahlberg is not coming to blow up the enemy and then drag his fellow， wounded American soldier away。 Morgan is an excellent journalist and is unquestionably committed。 Personally， I like my nonfiction with a central thrust， a few main characters to connect with， and a little creative liberty。 However， is thorough The book， for better or worse， is a portrait of the Pech Valley and the decades we spent there， skirmishing our way to stalemate after stalemate。 It is not a traditional narrative。 Mark Wahlberg is not coming to blow up the enemy and then drag his fellow， wounded American soldier away。 Morgan is an excellent journalist and is unquestionably committed。 Personally， I like my nonfiction with a central thrust， a few main characters to connect with， and a little creative liberty。 However， is thoroughness is your fetish， you will love this book。 In fact， there are so many characters I started to glaze over their names and ranks。 The chapters all follow the same pattern: a new commander is introduced， they have a slightly tweaked strategy in how they want to drive out the bad guys， and their plan is thwarted with minor successes sprinkled in。 This frustration is palpable in the book as well--the lack of progress permeates the dialogue， interactions， and increasing violence enacted on the local population。 While this is no doubt realistic， the reading of it had diminishing returns。 Morgan， I must say， is an expert at describing landscapes。 My guy plants （get it？） us firmly in Korengal， a mountainous jungle with caves whittled into mountainsides and big cats looming in the branches。 The trauma that the soldiers experience （and enact on the civilian population） is familiar but emotionally striking when presented with such fine details。 If you enjoy a deep dive about American ineptitude， the stress of war， and the human beings on the ground trying to do their best despite all this， you should check this out。 Honestly， our politicians should read it so they understand the consequences the next time they start a war to distract from their own incompetency。 Listen to the full review here。 。。。more
ERIC JOHNSON
，
Having spent my Afghanistan tour in 2008-2009 I was anxious to read this book to see a different perspective on the war I fought there。 It didn't disappoint either as it gave a glimpse of the war I fought at a different angle and how it affected not only me， but the overall aspect of the war during that time period。 Wesley didn't go over it as much as I liked （there was a lot more to go than what was described， but it was enough） but that's just a hankering to relive the times I had there。 Anywa Having spent my Afghanistan tour in 2008-2009 I was anxious to read this book to see a different perspective on the war I fought there。 It didn't disappoint either as it gave a glimpse of the war I fought at a different angle and how it affected not only me， but the overall aspect of the war during that time period。 Wesley didn't go over it as much as I liked （there was a lot more to go than what was described， but it was enough） but that's just a hankering to relive the times I had there。 Anyways the book is well written and goes over the whole conflict in the Pech area and shouldn't be glossed over。 Due to space and time he glossed over the deployments there （to include mine of course） but kept it factual and was a good read on the subject of the war in the country， especially in the Pech area。 。。。more
Adrian
，
I was extremely impressed by this book and it has stayed with me since I read it。 It sets the standard for military journalism in Afghanistan and I hope that there are many more books like it coming down the pipeline。 Fascinating account of how the US military lost its way in Afghanistan。 My full review is here: https://www。wrath-bearingtree。com/202。。。 I was extremely impressed by this book and it has stayed with me since I read it。 It sets the standard for military journalism in Afghanistan and I hope that there are many more books like it coming down the pipeline。 Fascinating account of how the US military lost its way in Afghanistan。 My full review is here: https://www。wrath-bearingtree。com/202。。。 。。。more
Eric
，
It is difficult to peg where America ends up in this ongoing strife in a land far away。 If the Biden administration does actually withdraw all military personnel from this theater of war will that， in the end， look like a mission has ended or a military comeuppance。 As the ebb and flow of personnel who lived and died in the Pech area unfolds over the years one is struck by the wide variety of views that might be drawn from the observations of the participants - and Morgan seemingly had the stori It is difficult to peg where America ends up in this ongoing strife in a land far away。 If the Biden administration does actually withdraw all military personnel from this theater of war will that， in the end， look like a mission has ended or a military comeuppance。 As the ebb and flow of personnel who lived and died in the Pech area unfolds over the years one is struck by the wide variety of views that might be drawn from the observations of the participants - and Morgan seemingly had the stories from those on the Afghan "side" of the struggle。 My sense is that "the great game" continues。 。。。more
Leanne
，
This is the best， most comprehensive and well written work on the American agenda in Afghanistan。 If you only read one book on the conflict in Afghanistan， let it be this one。 You will not be disappointed。
Joseph Stieb
，
First it's important to say that this is an astounding work of journalism。 To cover this 2-decade conflict and to build relationships with hundreds of sources is an enormous task， and we are lucky to have a source that allows you to see one aspect of the Afghan War in such detail over time。Second， I think it's actually an advantage that this book doesn't advance a detailed argument。 There are themes， of course， but Morgan mostly leaves it up to the reader to decide the larger significance to the First it's important to say that this is an astounding work of journalism。 To cover this 2-decade conflict and to build relationships with hundreds of sources is an enormous task， and we are lucky to have a source that allows you to see one aspect of the Afghan War in such detail over time。Second， I think it's actually an advantage that this book doesn't advance a detailed argument。 There are themes， of course， but Morgan mostly leaves it up to the reader to decide the larger significance to the story to questions like whether we should stay in Afghanistan。 This， along with the outstanding reporting， gives him a lot of credibility in a policy/political debate that can be heated。This book focuses on the Pech Valley， home of the famous Korengal Valley from the documentary Restrepo， and the course of the war there from 01 to about 2019。 This is really a book about mid-level commanders: colonels and captains who directed the war against the Taliban there。 It provides a great sense of the place itself， its tribal cultures， and the shifting nature of the war itself。 The original purpose of the US involvement there was to hunt down OBl and other AQ personnel hiding out there before they fled to Pakistan。 It then gradually shifted to road-building and other development and infrastructure projects in the region coupled with counterinsurgency。 Post Obama's surge， it shifted back to more of a counterterrorism mission that relied heavily on drone strikes。 Then there was a gradual drawing down of the presence there in the mid-late 2010s。WHat's interesting though is that the book feels repetitive， not because of anything MOrgan did wrong， but because so much of the conflict feels the same。 A unit comes in for 12-15 months， the army struggles to pass on knowledge about the area， that unit struggles to balance relationship building in a totally alien culture while simultaneously fighting a largely homegrown （as in Pech-derived） insurgency。 That was one aspect of the book that has real strategic relevance: who exactly were we fighting there？ Our CT strategy focused on Taliban and AQ leaders， but most of the people we fought day to day weren't really Taliban: they were "accidental guerrillas" turned against us by civilian casualties， Taliban $， tribal politics， and disruption of normal economic activity （a big factor in the timber-driven Pech economy）。 By the 2010s， it wasn't clear that the guys we were killing there were really threats to the homeland or even to the centralized Afghan government; at best， they seemed to threaten to someday act as sanctuaries for the real baddies who want to hit the US and Europe。 it's worth asking whether terrorism has changed enough （become more decentralized and homegrown） to make hunting down AQ guys in AF a strategic priority。Overall， this book pushed me more toward military disengagement in Afghanistan not because of US imperialism or whatever but just because it seems several layers removed from our national security and essential grand strategy。 I'm fine with leaving a small presence to train the Afghans and conduct CT against high level targets， but the time and need for major military investments is over。I do have one critique of the book。 I thought that Morgan could have done more to link the pech story to changes in Afghan strategy at the high level。 There wasn't much on how the presidential administration changes， or changes in top military leadership， affected things on the ground。 Maybe they didn't， but if they didn't that would be worth exploring more systematically。 I know the purpose of the book is to focus on the Pech， but at times I found myself wanting the larger context。This is one of the best Afghanistan books I have read， up there with Graveyard of Empires （more of a survey book） and Ahmed Rashid's Descent into Chaos （probably the best source out there on the first five years or so of the book。 This is a lengthy book， but well worth it for anyone wrestling with Afghanistan and the War on Terror。 。。。more
Seth Benzell
，
The best book I've read on the War in Afghanistan。The book gives a detailed， yet extremely clear and well organized， account of the US mission in Afghanistan through the lens of the battalion and company level actions in the Pech Valley。 Rather than follow a timeline of the entire nation， this level of focus help you understand both what operations were like on a day-to-day level and also understand what US vs。 Taliban vs。 Daesh 'control' of an area looks like。 The book also takes a refreshingly The best book I've read on the War in Afghanistan。The book gives a detailed， yet extremely clear and well organized， account of the US mission in Afghanistan through the lens of the battalion and company level actions in the Pech Valley。 Rather than follow a timeline of the entire nation， this level of focus help you understand both what operations were like on a day-to-day level and also understand what US vs。 Taliban vs。 Daesh 'control' of an area looks like。 The book also takes a refreshingly pragmatic stance on drone strike centered counter terrorism。 The book explains very clearly how the US adopted it as what it saw as a 'best of bad options' solution to areas that the US could not fully control。 I like this book because while it spends the appropriate amount of time looking into civilian deaths and collateral damage from the conflict， this book is not ~about~ the hero-reporter's daring or hand-wringing。 For example， we learn about how a shockingly obtuse international focus on preventing enviornmental damage played a huge role in souring natives on the anti-insurgency forces。 While this specific example is only relevant to this region， it is by taking this level of resolution that one gets the closest thing to a fully clear strategic picture of the US failure in Afghanistan。 。。。more
Anthony Lesurf
，
The Hardest Place provides a detailed and fascinating account of the US military’s decade-long misadventures in Afghanistan’s Pech Valley region of Kunar and Nuristan。 The American effort comprised initially only small unit advisors （ODA） and other special forces hunting al Qaeda and Bin Laden， but soon escalated into a full-blown insurgency as troops became embroiled in local politics and feuds of a culture they didn’t really understand （the lucrative timber industry in the main） and continued The Hardest Place provides a detailed and fascinating account of the US military’s decade-long misadventures in Afghanistan’s Pech Valley region of Kunar and Nuristan。 The American effort comprised initially only small unit advisors （ODA） and other special forces hunting al Qaeda and Bin Laden， but soon escalated into a full-blown insurgency as troops became embroiled in local politics and feuds of a culture they didn’t really understand （the lucrative timber industry in the main） and continued to misunderstand again and again as each new （light infantry） unit deployed in and out on roulement， even to the point of eventually going full circle， pulling out combat troops and reverting to the use of just small unit advisors， local forces and drones。 The thing I found really interesting was that many of the issues highlighted are those exact same issues that the British Military struggled with in Iraq and Afghanistan as discussed in Simon Akam’s The Changing of the Guard。 。。。more
Adam
，
While only focused on a small part of Afghanistan， this is still the best history of the war I've read。 One of the only accounts that focuses on a specific region， as U。S。 military units came and went， each leaving a different impact， for better or worse。 The writing is superb， and the stories of the operations and missions are enthralling。 Highly recommend to any interested in the War in Afghanistan or American military history of any period。 While only focused on a small part of Afghanistan， this is still the best history of the war I've read。 One of the only accounts that focuses on a specific region， as U。S。 military units came and went， each leaving a different impact， for better or worse。 The writing is superb， and the stories of the operations and missions are enthralling。 Highly recommend to any interested in the War in Afghanistan or American military history of any period。 。。。more
David S。 Lato
，