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Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq
The true story of one of the most dramatic and sustained special operations in military historyWhen American and British forces invaded Iraq in March 2003, select teams of special forces and intelligence operatives got to work looking for the WMD their governments had promised were there. They quickly realized no such weapons existed. Instead they faced an insurgency—a soaring spiral of extremism and violence that was almost impossible to understand, let alone reverse. Facing defeat, the Coalition waged a hidden war within a war. Major-General Stan McChrystal devised a campaign fusing special forces, aircraft, and the latest surveillance technology with the aim of taking down the enemy faster than it could regenerate. Guided by intelligence, British and American special forces conducted a relentless onslaught, night after night targeting al-Qaeda and other insurgent groups. Mark Urban's Task Force Black reveals not only the intensity of the secret fight that turned the tide in Baghdad but the rivalries and personal battles that had to be overcome along the way. Incisive, dramatic, exceptionally revealing, the war in Iraq cannot be understood without this book.
318 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 18, 2010
208 people are currently reading
1092 people want to read
About the author
Mark Urban
29 books75 followersMark Urban is a British journalist, author and broadcaster, and is currently the Diplomatic Editor for BBC Two's Newsnight.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
April 15, 2014
While this doesn't tell the story from the point of view of the troopers, as a journalist I think Mark has done a respectable job of telling the story of what TFBlack did in Iraq within the obvious confines that huge amounts of it are still classified.
It's not a 'boots on the ground' account from a soldiers point of view, so for those looking for a Bravo Two Zero type account from a member of the SAS you are likely to be disappointed. It reads more like a Telegraph Op Ed than a classic McNab.
That said it does a reasonably good job of dealing with some of the political backstory of the SAS involvement in Iraq, and the structure and formation of how they were utilised.
I did think it glossed over some of the more important missions, but only the author probably knows what the MOD allowed him to write so it would be unfair to criticise the lack of detail on that basis, since it is likely outside the authors control.
But overall I thought it was well written and I enjoyed reading a different perspective.
It's not a 'boots on the ground' account from a soldiers point of view, so for those looking for a Bravo Two Zero type account from a member of the SAS you are likely to be disappointed. It reads more like a Telegraph Op Ed than a classic McNab.
That said it does a reasonably good job of dealing with some of the political backstory of the SAS involvement in Iraq, and the structure and formation of how they were utilised.
I did think it glossed over some of the more important missions, but only the author probably knows what the MOD allowed him to write so it would be unfair to criticise the lack of detail on that basis, since it is likely outside the authors control.
But overall I thought it was well written and I enjoyed reading a different perspective.
June 16, 2012
The cover made it look like the usual Iraq/Afghanistan soldier's memoirs. It is not, Mark Urban is in fact a journalist and this book is a look at the intelligence and political battles faced behind the scenes.
I found the book pretty interesting despite it not being the usual bombastic tale of gun fights, air support and ambushes. In particular I found the stuff about McChrystal very interesting as he has become a figure of some mystery in the media in recent years.
From the start it would appear that Urban is fairly pro-war and doesn't ask or answer some of the ethical questions behind the invasion of Iraq. There are references to Tony Blair but none dealing with the bit question about the intelligence behind the WMD claims. This is a big omission and even though it is not the focus of the book I think it should still have been given a chapter.
The prose is a bit boggy in places when compared to soldier's memoirs but I think that this is a bit of an unfair comparison. When looked at what it is, I think it is a fine book looking at some parts of warfare which are often overlooked in popular media. Perhaps Urban could have been a little more critical of decisions taken but I think two things should be borne in mind here. One, he developed a bond with the people involved, this is very clear. Two, he is not a soldier, casting aspersions without having been in the position would have been inappropriate.
I found the book pretty interesting despite it not being the usual bombastic tale of gun fights, air support and ambushes. In particular I found the stuff about McChrystal very interesting as he has become a figure of some mystery in the media in recent years.
From the start it would appear that Urban is fairly pro-war and doesn't ask or answer some of the ethical questions behind the invasion of Iraq. There are references to Tony Blair but none dealing with the bit question about the intelligence behind the WMD claims. This is a big omission and even though it is not the focus of the book I think it should still have been given a chapter.
The prose is a bit boggy in places when compared to soldier's memoirs but I think that this is a bit of an unfair comparison. When looked at what it is, I think it is a fine book looking at some parts of warfare which are often overlooked in popular media. Perhaps Urban could have been a little more critical of decisions taken but I think two things should be borne in mind here. One, he developed a bond with the people involved, this is very clear. Two, he is not a soldier, casting aspersions without having been in the position would have been inappropriate.
October 4, 2011
Hardly "explosive", over hyping a fantastic factual book. It doesn't need the 'tabloid' bullshit to bang it's drum. Mark Urban as done the impossible here. A deeply frustrating, bleak, yet honest work of the failings, and inherent issues with the War in Iraq... from those on the ground. If you are looking for the typical 'Gun-ho' special forces book - this isn't it. If you want to read how they band together, rivalry, top brass not listening to intelligence from those on the ground, all of it.
Honest, candid and brilliant.
Honest, candid and brilliant.
June 4, 2025
This book traces the involvement of Special Forces in the larger military effort in Iraq, with a primary focus on the British, and specifically the SAS. It's a work of journalistic military history, and Urban does a good job of outlining the development under Gen. Stanley McChrystal of a coherent strategy for using special forces to defeat the insurgency. The main events that are familiar from the media reporting at the time are all set in context (the Basra prison incident, the rescue of Norman Kember, etc).
Overall, the book has a ring of truth about it, as Urban captures well the bleakness and inherent instability of Iraq, as well as the frustration and sense of futility experienced by those who continued to fight there. The conclusions that he draws are also convincing, as he shows that while the focused and professionally executed covert campaign carried out by the SAS to defeat Al-Qaeda in Iraq was a definite success, the wider allied strategy was much less so. The special forces campaign couldn't resolve the underlying sectarian tensions that still characterise Iraq, and this is made all the more poignant by the subsequent rise of IS.
The lack of satisfaction I felt on finishing the book reflects the inconclusive and frustrating nature of the war in Iraq; there isn't a happy or neat ending to this story. I would also say that we're still too close to the events for a definitive assessment of the war in Iraq, or of the special forces component in it. I enjoyed the book, and I like Mark Urban's writing style, but it falls short of being great.
A couple of tangential points also struck me. One is that this makes a great companion piece to Urban's earlier work about Special Forces action in Northern Ireland, "Big Boys Rules," and caused me to reflect that although the violence experienced during the Troubles was awful, we should be grateful that the basic rule of law and order in society was upheld. Reading about the growth of the insurgency, the collapse of Iraqi society, and the levels of sectarian violence experienced as the country descended into anarchy was truly terrifying.
Secondly, as an aside on the intelligence that informed much of what the military did in Iraq, and having recently read Max Hastings' book "The Secret War," it was interesting to note the parallels between a recent war like that in Iraq and the Second World War. The human intelligence gained both before and after the invasion of Iraq (especially that relating to WMD) was essentially useless, with most successes coming from the NSA's massive surveillance of Iraqi communications. This mirrors the picture from Hastings book, and since the NSA are the direct successors of the code-breakers in Bletchley Park and their equivalents in the US, it is pretty easy to take Hastings conclusions and apply them to Iraq, showing that human nature, and how we conduct warfare, don't change as much as we might think.
Overall, the book has a ring of truth about it, as Urban captures well the bleakness and inherent instability of Iraq, as well as the frustration and sense of futility experienced by those who continued to fight there. The conclusions that he draws are also convincing, as he shows that while the focused and professionally executed covert campaign carried out by the SAS to defeat Al-Qaeda in Iraq was a definite success, the wider allied strategy was much less so. The special forces campaign couldn't resolve the underlying sectarian tensions that still characterise Iraq, and this is made all the more poignant by the subsequent rise of IS.
The lack of satisfaction I felt on finishing the book reflects the inconclusive and frustrating nature of the war in Iraq; there isn't a happy or neat ending to this story. I would also say that we're still too close to the events for a definitive assessment of the war in Iraq, or of the special forces component in it. I enjoyed the book, and I like Mark Urban's writing style, but it falls short of being great.
A couple of tangential points also struck me. One is that this makes a great companion piece to Urban's earlier work about Special Forces action in Northern Ireland, "Big Boys Rules," and caused me to reflect that although the violence experienced during the Troubles was awful, we should be grateful that the basic rule of law and order in society was upheld. Reading about the growth of the insurgency, the collapse of Iraqi society, and the levels of sectarian violence experienced as the country descended into anarchy was truly terrifying.
Secondly, as an aside on the intelligence that informed much of what the military did in Iraq, and having recently read Max Hastings' book "The Secret War," it was interesting to note the parallels between a recent war like that in Iraq and the Second World War. The human intelligence gained both before and after the invasion of Iraq (especially that relating to WMD) was essentially useless, with most successes coming from the NSA's massive surveillance of Iraqi communications. This mirrors the picture from Hastings book, and since the NSA are the direct successors of the code-breakers in Bletchley Park and their equivalents in the US, it is pretty easy to take Hastings conclusions and apply them to Iraq, showing that human nature, and how we conduct warfare, don't change as much as we might think.
June 30, 2011
“Task Force Black” by Mark Urban, published by St. Martin’s Press.
Category – Military History
This book is not for the casual reader. It is meant for one with a great interest in military history and has some background in military operations.
When allied forces went into Iraq in 2003 Special Forces Units of both the British and United States were given the task of finding Weapons of Mass Destruction.
As we all know WMD were not found, but the Special Forces were faced with a large number of militants both within Iraq and others from Iran. A large number of these militants fought under the banner of al-Qaeda.
These militants quickly got the upper hand due to the small numbers of British and US Forces. Of course, the militants knew the territory and found it easy to replace their loses. The allied forces also had a problem with communication and leadership.
It was only after the Allies put together the right leadership and program that the situation in Bagdad started to change for the better.
“Task Force Black” concerns itself with the campaign as waged by the British Special Forces. Although the book does have some interesting stories of the street and house to house fighting, the better part of the book tells of the problems faced by the leadership of both Britain and United States, the infighting and finally the co-operation between both parties.
I found the book to be of minor interest due to the content. It is full of military jargon and abbreviations. Again, it is quite possible this would be an excellent read for someone in the military, but I think most casual readers would be disappointed.
Category – Military History
This book is not for the casual reader. It is meant for one with a great interest in military history and has some background in military operations.
When allied forces went into Iraq in 2003 Special Forces Units of both the British and United States were given the task of finding Weapons of Mass Destruction.
As we all know WMD were not found, but the Special Forces were faced with a large number of militants both within Iraq and others from Iran. A large number of these militants fought under the banner of al-Qaeda.
These militants quickly got the upper hand due to the small numbers of British and US Forces. Of course, the militants knew the territory and found it easy to replace their loses. The allied forces also had a problem with communication and leadership.
It was only after the Allies put together the right leadership and program that the situation in Bagdad started to change for the better.
“Task Force Black” concerns itself with the campaign as waged by the British Special Forces. Although the book does have some interesting stories of the street and house to house fighting, the better part of the book tells of the problems faced by the leadership of both Britain and United States, the infighting and finally the co-operation between both parties.
I found the book to be of minor interest due to the content. It is full of military jargon and abbreviations. Again, it is quite possible this would be an excellent read for someone in the military, but I think most casual readers would be disappointed.
May 7, 2017
Logan
Mrs. V
Freshman English
11 April 2017
Task Force Black
Stanley McCrystal was the courageous general of the S.A.S; he was the mastermind behind Operation Crichton. Operation Crichton was an campaign involving the special forces from the United Kingdom, led by Graeme Lamb. During this mission, the Special Air Service and a couple other elite units perform stealth night missions to eliminate Islamic fighters tied in with Al-Qaeda. This mission is very scary, hence the fact that one wrong move can end everything for these soldiers. Mark Urban, the author of this book, has written many other excellent books, such as Soviet Land Union, UK Eyes Alpha: Inside British Intelligence, and many more. His books often cover historical events and are very extreme, detailed, and interesting.
June 23, 2025
⭐️⭐️ Review: Task Force Black by Mark Urban (Audiobook)
When American and British forces invaded Iraq in 2003, elite special forces teams began hunting for weapons of mass destruction. When none were found, their mission pivoted to countering a rapidly growing insurgency. In this hidden war within a war, General McChrystal led a covert campaign that blended special forces operations, surveillance technology, and relentless raids to dismantle al-Qaeda and other insurgent groups.
I really struggled with this audiobook, and for a few key reasons. First and foremost, the structure made it incredibly difficult to follow. Rather than unfolding in a clear narrative or even a linear fashion, it jumped around a lot—introducing wave after wave of names, units, and acronyms from both British and American forces. I found it hard to keep track of who was who, or even understand how they all fit into the broader picture.
Despite the title, I came away still unsure what Task Force Black actually was. There was a lot of discussion about operations, tactics, and special units, but not enough grounding in who the SAS are or what their role was in Iraq. As someone new to this area of military history, I needed more foundational context to truly grasp what was happening.
There were moments I considered abandoning it altogether, but after already investing hours of listening time, I pushed through. Unfortunately, the depth and detail that some might find impressive just left me feeling overwhelmed and a bit lost.
That said, it's clearly a well-researched book, and Urban’s access to key figures is impressive. This just wasn’t the right entry point for me into the topic of British involvement in Iraq. If you're already well-versed in the subject, you might get far more out of it than I did. But as a newcomer, I found it dense, difficult to follow, and lacking the narrative drive that could have kept me engaged.
When American and British forces invaded Iraq in 2003, elite special forces teams began hunting for weapons of mass destruction. When none were found, their mission pivoted to countering a rapidly growing insurgency. In this hidden war within a war, General McChrystal led a covert campaign that blended special forces operations, surveillance technology, and relentless raids to dismantle al-Qaeda and other insurgent groups.
I really struggled with this audiobook, and for a few key reasons. First and foremost, the structure made it incredibly difficult to follow. Rather than unfolding in a clear narrative or even a linear fashion, it jumped around a lot—introducing wave after wave of names, units, and acronyms from both British and American forces. I found it hard to keep track of who was who, or even understand how they all fit into the broader picture.
Despite the title, I came away still unsure what Task Force Black actually was. There was a lot of discussion about operations, tactics, and special units, but not enough grounding in who the SAS are or what their role was in Iraq. As someone new to this area of military history, I needed more foundational context to truly grasp what was happening.
There were moments I considered abandoning it altogether, but after already investing hours of listening time, I pushed through. Unfortunately, the depth and detail that some might find impressive just left me feeling overwhelmed and a bit lost.
That said, it's clearly a well-researched book, and Urban’s access to key figures is impressive. This just wasn’t the right entry point for me into the topic of British involvement in Iraq. If you're already well-versed in the subject, you might get far more out of it than I did. But as a newcomer, I found it dense, difficult to follow, and lacking the narrative drive that could have kept me engaged.
July 18, 2025
As other reviewers have noted, this title and description is not really reflective of the content of this book. The book is very light on the detail of the SAS operations (no doubt largely due to MOD editorial culling). The main focus is on the British and American attempts to exert and maintain security in Iraq, and there are long sections dealing with the sectarian history and make-up of Iraq, and the high level strategic planning, some of which involved the deployment of SF units. I found some of it a little dull, although impeccably researched no doubt. In terms of what really stood out for me, it was the intensity of the operations by the SF soldiers, night after night after night, for 6 month deployments. It takes a special individual and strength of character to be able to withstand that constant on-off aggression coupled with fear, every single night. I was also struck by how inadequately equipped the British soldiers appeared to be, even at SF level. There was no doubt a good working relationship with the Delta operators but I sensed that the Brits were seen as a decent bunch generally but poorly led at the senior officer level, with some of those officers rather obsequiously trying to serve their American masters; not all, for sure, but some notable examples. I think it was also clear that the SAS perhaps suffered from an over confidence in relation to their intelligence gathering expertise. This was a very different arena from Northern Ireland and the widely reported capture of the two SAS soldiers who were on a surveillance operation, both of whom were seasoned operators, seemed to mark a dawning realisation that tactics and skills needed to be adapted.
All in all, an informative book, but certainly not a soldier's perspective narrative and a reader's expectations need to be managed from the start.
All in all, an informative book, but certainly not a soldier's perspective narrative and a reader's expectations need to be managed from the start.
January 29, 2018
While Mark Urban is a journalist, he does seem to have a talent for getting behind the headlines and really immersing himself in a story, in this case the exploits of the SAS in Iraq. He clearly spent a lot of time over there, with troops from all the Allied countries from the boys on the ground facing fire night after night to those gathering intelligence and making the tactical decisions. While he largely avoids the morality question (and quite rightly in my opinion as that would be a whole book in itself...and then some!), he does get into the tactical and practical decisions and analyses whether they were right at the time, right in hindsight and whether they made any real difference in the direction and progress of the war in Iraq. He does so with the keen eye of a journalist but of a well informed one, looking at all the angles and possibilities and even acknowledging where things didn't go to plan or didn't help matters. The writing on the whole is easy to follow, laying out the tangled mess of Iraq in relatively simple terms but it does sometimes get bogged down in the behind the scenes politics and personality clashes, which are useful to know about but could possibly have been less detailed (although on the other hand this may have been seen as white-washing...). This is certainly an interesting read, and rather enlightening too seeing how much involvement British forces really had.
December 6, 2017
From 2003 to 2009, Britain's crack special forces SAS/SBS/SRS joined the American led "Industrial CounterTerrorism" Campaign in Baghdad during Gulf War III. The campaign, along with the "Surge" and the "Tribal Awakening" helped to blunt the horrible sectarian/political bloodbath that was taking place. In this taught, tension packed, account, Urban takes us inside the "Find-Fix-Finish Interrogate-Exploit" cycle, and shows us the difficulty of balancing operational, logistical and political issues both within and outside General McChrystal's command. The "blades", the boot's through the doors' get to tell their story- but Urban's contacts take us throughout the many circles that took part, so we get to understand the command issues as well. People die or get wounded, aircraft fail and intel is incomplete. Through it all a grueling pace of operations is maintained, and then begins to get results. A cracking read. Junior readers will face a torrent of adult themes and complexities but should be rewarded with a real educational experience. For the Military Enthusiast/Gamer/Modeller this is a veritable treasure trove of information and pictures that will improve scenario/diorama development a great deal. The Colour photos alone will be great, but the operational tidbits are sheerest gold. No modern Special Forces enthusiast can miss this book.
February 22, 2022
Este libro expone principalmente acciones del SAS británico durante la ejecución de operaciones en Irak (y otros lugares) entre el año 2003 y 2006.
La integración del SAS a JSOC , permitió una interacción entre las comunidades de fuerzas especiales , nutriéndose de tecnología y tácticas fundamentales para la COIN.
Bajo el visionario liderazgo del General McChrystal (JSOC, US) se optó por un método agresivo pero preciso para la aplicación del F3EA (Find , Fix , Finish , Exploit , Analyze). Logrando integrar a las unidades Tear 1 y 2 , en una búsqueda activa de información y creación de redes de inteligencia que permitieron eliminar a células neurálgicas de insurgencia. Por su puesto bajo una fricción política multinacional constante.
Sin embargo es tal la complejidad y diversidad de las redes insurgentes/terroristas que el trabajo sigue activo hasta hoy.
El SAS es legendario entre los militares del mundo , no solo por su protagonismo televisado en la operación Nimrod, sino que por una larga trayectoria que data desde la segunda guerra mundial, pasando por lo que se “sabe” de sus acciones en la guerra fría, Irlanda, Falklands, Bosnia , Africa , Afganistán y otras muchas más….que quizás nunca sabremos.
La integración del SAS a JSOC , permitió una interacción entre las comunidades de fuerzas especiales , nutriéndose de tecnología y tácticas fundamentales para la COIN.
Bajo el visionario liderazgo del General McChrystal (JSOC, US) se optó por un método agresivo pero preciso para la aplicación del F3EA (Find , Fix , Finish , Exploit , Analyze). Logrando integrar a las unidades Tear 1 y 2 , en una búsqueda activa de información y creación de redes de inteligencia que permitieron eliminar a células neurálgicas de insurgencia. Por su puesto bajo una fricción política multinacional constante.
Sin embargo es tal la complejidad y diversidad de las redes insurgentes/terroristas que el trabajo sigue activo hasta hoy.
El SAS es legendario entre los militares del mundo , no solo por su protagonismo televisado en la operación Nimrod, sino que por una larga trayectoria que data desde la segunda guerra mundial, pasando por lo que se “sabe” de sus acciones en la guerra fría, Irlanda, Falklands, Bosnia , Africa , Afganistán y otras muchas más….que quizás nunca sabremos.
November 23, 2024
For anyone interested in military strategy, counterterrorism, or the Iraq War, Task Force Black is a goldmine. The book’s focus on the precision and intelligence-driven approach of the SAS provides insight into a world of military operations that is rarely exposed. The way the SAS tracked down and eliminated high-ranking insurgents, while balancing the need for secrecy with the pressures of real-time decision-making, is simply captivating.
The battles and missions that Urban describes are often pulse-pounding, and he doesn’t sugarcoat the challenges faced by the SAS. From the chaos of Baghdad’s streets to the secretive and dangerous missions in the deserts and mountains, every page is filled with tension. The portrayal of the soldiers themselves is deeply respectful, showing them not as flawless heroes but as highly skilled, highly dedicated individuals doing what they believe is necessary in an incredibly complex and dangerous environment.
If you’re looking for a book that doesn’t just tell you about war but makes you feel it, Task Force Black will leave a lasting impression. It’s one of those books that stays with you long after you’ve finished reading, and for that reason, it stands out as one of the best I’ve ever read.
The battles and missions that Urban describes are often pulse-pounding, and he doesn’t sugarcoat the challenges faced by the SAS. From the chaos of Baghdad’s streets to the secretive and dangerous missions in the deserts and mountains, every page is filled with tension. The portrayal of the soldiers themselves is deeply respectful, showing them not as flawless heroes but as highly skilled, highly dedicated individuals doing what they believe is necessary in an incredibly complex and dangerous environment.
If you’re looking for a book that doesn’t just tell you about war but makes you feel it, Task Force Black will leave a lasting impression. It’s one of those books that stays with you long after you’ve finished reading, and for that reason, it stands out as one of the best I’ve ever read.
November 9, 2020
While I enjoyed learning about this chapter in SAS history, I found getting through this book a struggle. As I have found with few other books on similar subject matter, its been massively mis-sold. It gives very little account of actual combat and reads very much as a strategic overview. I appreciate this narritive is limited to what information was made available (due to the nature of clandestine work) and its certainly very thorough in presenting the facts it can state. But it remains rather dry and when there where elements of intensity & excitment, it would last no more than a paragraph. Im glad I stuck with it, as it is an interesting chapter of modern history and certainly gives the credit where it is due. It just lacked the captivation that makes you, not want to put it down.
September 17, 2017
Good overview of JSOC activities and structure by a journalist (particularly SAS, and the complexities of combined and joint operations) in Iraq/OIF. This was pretty secret at the time (and still is in a lot of ways), and I think there were some issues around the publication/clearance of this book at the time, but from what I can tell it is relatively accurate and a good overview. (I read this book in hardcover while at a JSOC site in Iraq, which was kind of lulzy).
July 6, 2019
Iraq the real story
The complexes nature of Iraq shown by this book shows the complexity and resources required both militarily and politically and to achieve the end game many would give their lives or sustain life changing injuries of which some we won see for a number of years but the real question is was it worth it...the answer depends where your standing and what you feel the outcome should be.
The complexes nature of Iraq shown by this book shows the complexity and resources required both militarily and politically and to achieve the end game many would give their lives or sustain life changing injuries of which some we won see for a number of years but the real question is was it worth it...the answer depends where your standing and what you feel the outcome should be.
March 2, 2020
Not what I had in mind when I purchased the book, but it was a very well written documentary about British special forces fighting alongside American troops in Iraq.
I was expecting a more personal account by troops on the ground rather than a documentary style account by a non combatant.
I was expecting a more personal account by troops on the ground rather than a documentary style account by a non combatant.
March 8, 2019
Decent to good. Heavily political work detailing UK Special Forces operation/collaboration during the Iraq war. Heavy on the political infighting/contest that characterized the conflict, a little lighter on actual operation detail.
April 27, 2019
5 stars for the excellent content; 1 star for readability. I strongly desired to read this after finding it and am glad I made my way through it. It is not a book for the faint of heart though because it reads with the ease of a physics textbook.
May 23, 2020
An in depth study
I was in high school when the invasion of Iraq occurred, and only knew about what was going on in news reports. I am glad we have books like this that talk about what was going on behind the scenes.
I was in high school when the invasion of Iraq occurred, and only knew about what was going on in news reports. I am glad we have books like this that talk about what was going on behind the scenes.
October 27, 2020
Task Force Black was a realistic summary of SAS operations in Iraq. The conflict or their operations weren't glamourised and it felt like a straight forward, factual account. Reasonably fast-paced, I enjoyed reading this.
July 8, 2019
The author is a news reporter, not a writer and the book is drearily written
February 18, 2020
Not a bad book but quite military. Interesting insight and explanation of the military campaign in Iraq.
June 1, 2020
An amazing account of the Iraq was, worts and all.
An utterly amazing account of the SAS's contribution towards the coalition's struggle in Iraq, makes me proud to be British.
An utterly amazing account of the SAS's contribution towards the coalition's struggle in Iraq, makes me proud to be British.
March 3, 2021
This was a long read but a great insight into the complexities of British special operations in Iraq during the second Iraq conflict.
Read
April 7, 2023A gripping ,fascinating historical events , a magiificent storytelling sequences for a thriller TV Series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2024
in-depth look on the war in Iraq focusing on the UK SAS however talks a lot about the relationship between US and UK in Iraq
May 9, 2025
This wasn't for me. Really struggled to focus on it, and don't have a lot of takeaways.
January 25, 2023
Highly informative about the war in Iraq, which I had minimal previous exposure to. Author is fairly unbiased and objective.
8/10
8/10
August 5, 2012
Get this book if you want to understand the bigger picture of the secret special forces war in Iraq.
Learn the reasons, the events and the consequences. Learn about the politics and the trials and tribulations of the main actors involved. Find out how each raid influenced the war and what tipped the scale in favor of the Coalition.
Don't get this book if what you want is a boots on the ground combat camera view of the conflict. The raids are presented quickly and with little detail, so you will come out wishing for more.
Good book and an eye-opener, but not for everyone.
P.S. Also note that this book is mainly focused on the British (SBS, SAS) side of the conflict, which at least to me was not clear before.
Learn the reasons, the events and the consequences. Learn about the politics and the trials and tribulations of the main actors involved. Find out how each raid influenced the war and what tipped the scale in favor of the Coalition.
Don't get this book if what you want is a boots on the ground combat camera view of the conflict. The raids are presented quickly and with little detail, so you will come out wishing for more.
Good book and an eye-opener, but not for everyone.
P.S. Also note that this book is mainly focused on the British (SBS, SAS) side of the conflict, which at least to me was not clear before.
April 23, 2011
Well written book detailing an extraordinary period of time during the Iraq war. Regardless of your support for or opposition to this conflict, the book highlights the problems caused when the politicians, who were so eager to engage in war, failed to support their troops by not supplying them with either the equipment or leadership required to see the situation through to a successful conclusion. In the process, many troops and civilians on both sides suffered losses that should have been avoided.
This story is a tribute to those troops on the ground who made the best of a bad situation and got on with the job in hand.
This story is a tribute to those troops on the ground who made the best of a bad situation and got on with the job in hand.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews