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Desert Sniper: How One Ordinary Brit Went to War Against ISIS
What makes an ordinary but highly educated Englishman, with no previous military training, decide to travel and fight in one of the most brutal conflicts on the planet?
Desert Sniper is an extraordinary, true account of one man's journey from well-meaning volunteer to battle-scarred combat sniper, placing himself daily in the line of fire to fight one of the greatest evils of this new century.
Ed Nash has travelled across the globe, and is working with refugees in Burma, when he first becomes aware of the terrible atrocities being committed under ISIS's newly established 'Caliphate', covering vast tracts of Iraq and Syria. In June 2015, he chooses to undertake the hazardous journey, via Northern Iraq, to Syria, to join ill-equipped and poorly trained but battle-hardened Kurdish forces as they attempt to halt Daesh's relentless advance.
Nash is an articulate, insightful and refreshingly honest companion as he unpacks the shifting complexities of the political and military situation in which he finds himself. As one of a motley band of foreign volunteer fighters - veterans of other conflicts, adventurers and misfits, from many different countries - we follow him through his rudimentary training and early combat operations as he and his companions slowly gain the trust and respect of their Kurdish colleagues.
Nash shows us the realities of the war on the ground in Syria in fascinating detail; the privations of the ordinary Kurdish soldiers, the terrible price paid by civilians caught in the cross-fire, the ever-present danger of lethal suicide bombers and occasional moments of striking beauty in amongst the carnage.
A modern classic in the making, Desert Sniper will prove to be one of the most unforgettable accounts to emerge from the war against ISIS.
Desert Sniper is an extraordinary, true account of one man's journey from well-meaning volunteer to battle-scarred combat sniper, placing himself daily in the line of fire to fight one of the greatest evils of this new century.
Ed Nash has travelled across the globe, and is working with refugees in Burma, when he first becomes aware of the terrible atrocities being committed under ISIS's newly established 'Caliphate', covering vast tracts of Iraq and Syria. In June 2015, he chooses to undertake the hazardous journey, via Northern Iraq, to Syria, to join ill-equipped and poorly trained but battle-hardened Kurdish forces as they attempt to halt Daesh's relentless advance.
Nash is an articulate, insightful and refreshingly honest companion as he unpacks the shifting complexities of the political and military situation in which he finds himself. As one of a motley band of foreign volunteer fighters - veterans of other conflicts, adventurers and misfits, from many different countries - we follow him through his rudimentary training and early combat operations as he and his companions slowly gain the trust and respect of their Kurdish colleagues.
Nash shows us the realities of the war on the ground in Syria in fascinating detail; the privations of the ordinary Kurdish soldiers, the terrible price paid by civilians caught in the cross-fire, the ever-present danger of lethal suicide bombers and occasional moments of striking beauty in amongst the carnage.
A modern classic in the making, Desert Sniper will prove to be one of the most unforgettable accounts to emerge from the war against ISIS.
288 pages, Paperback
Published September 17, 2019
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109 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 15, 2019
I downloaded 'Desert Sniper' by Ed Nash because I wanted to get an understanding of conflict in the Middle East and the attitudes and feelings of the groups involved. I just read had '9 Lives' by Aiman Dean which I loved. And I guess I hoped for more of the same.
I didn't really get it. What I got instead, was a detailed description of the equipment used in war and of the lives of soldiers fighting against Isis Syria. it was kind of interesting but somehow something was lacking. It had loads of detail about military equipment about the tactics used by different groups, but very little human content. At least, that was how it felt to me.
Ed Nash is a pretty amazing guy. he's done some incredible things, things that I can only dream and read about. and you have to admire him for his courage and facing up so brutal an enemy. To be fair he reminds us of this himself several times. However we don't really get that much of a picture of Isis in this book, which is a shame (in a way) because it makes the condemnation fall a bit flat. What we do get in spades is the sense of the interminable boredom of being a soldier - the waiting, the waiting, the waiting.
There are moments of emotional intensity, most significantly when Nash refuses to fire upon civilians when ordered to do so. and we find out interesting things about the YPG and the SDF, their hierarchical structures freedom to express themselves comma and the Equality given to women soldiers. We don't get is a real sense of jeopardy despite the many horrifically frightening things that happened.
Overall I did enjoy this book. there were enough anecdotes and events the reader feel as if I've got something. but what I didn't get was a real sense of story, purpose, or closure, butI guess, at the end of the day, that's what war is all about.
I didn't really get it. What I got instead, was a detailed description of the equipment used in war and of the lives of soldiers fighting against Isis Syria. it was kind of interesting but somehow something was lacking. It had loads of detail about military equipment about the tactics used by different groups, but very little human content. At least, that was how it felt to me.
Ed Nash is a pretty amazing guy. he's done some incredible things, things that I can only dream and read about. and you have to admire him for his courage and facing up so brutal an enemy. To be fair he reminds us of this himself several times. However we don't really get that much of a picture of Isis in this book, which is a shame (in a way) because it makes the condemnation fall a bit flat. What we do get in spades is the sense of the interminable boredom of being a soldier - the waiting, the waiting, the waiting.
There are moments of emotional intensity, most significantly when Nash refuses to fire upon civilians when ordered to do so. and we find out interesting things about the YPG and the SDF, their hierarchical structures freedom to express themselves comma and the Equality given to women soldiers. We don't get is a real sense of jeopardy despite the many horrifically frightening things that happened.
Overall I did enjoy this book. there were enough anecdotes and events the reader feel as if I've got something. but what I didn't get was a real sense of story, purpose, or closure, butI guess, at the end of the day, that's what war is all about.
August 11, 2019
“Pustynny snajper” to autobiograficzna relacja brytyjskego żołnierza-ochotnika Eda Nasha - z walki przeciw ISIS na terenach Syrii. Ta dosyć krótka, bo licząca niewiele ponad 250 stron, książka to moje pierwsze spotkanie z literaturą faktu poruszającą problem konfliktów na Bliskim Wschodzie. Czy będąc praktycznie zieloną w tym temacie “Pustynnego snajpera” czytało mi się ciężko czy udało mi się w ogóle połapać o co w tym wszystkim chodzi? Nash już na pierwszych stronach zwięźle, acz treściwie zarysowuje historyczny i polityczny kontekst i tło konfliktu Kurdów z Państwem Islamskim. Przejdźmy teraz do najważniejszego - czyli samej treści książki. I tu - osobiście - czuję się nieco zawiedziona. Liczyłam na obrazową, realistyczną relację z pola walki - i poniekąd to dostałam - gdyż zdarzały się bardziej dynamiczne, wzbudzające grozę (a w pewnym sensie i żałość) fragmenty opisujące mniej lub bardziej udane akcje partyzantów kurdyjskich. Jednak znaczna większośc tej ksiązki to drobiazgowe opisy uzbrojenia wojsk partyzanckich - nie tylko składu, liczebności i stanu konkretnych modeli karabinów czy wyrzutni rakiet, ale i sposobu ich obsługi. Jeśli kogoś temat broni fascynuje - z lektury “Pustynnego snajpera” na pewno będzie bardziej zadowolony ode mnie. Ja jednak - zamiast czytać o kałasznikowach - wolałabym dowiedzieć się więcej o samych ludziach biorących udział w walkach - o ich przeżyciach, emocjach, o tym co czuli i myśleli w stanie ekstremalnego stresu i świadomości, że za chwilę mogą zginąć. Takich opisów właśnie mi we wspomnieniach Nasha zabrakło. I głównie przez to całość, poza nielicznymi fragmentami, czytało mi się bez większych emocji. Może ze trzy czy cztery razy w trakcie lektury mocniej mną wstrząsnęło. Jednak jak na pozycję w całości traktującą o tak straszliwym, dramatycznym, wręcz nieludzkim procederze jakim jest wojny te trzy czy cztery bardziej porażające fragmenty to mało. Sięgając po “Pustynnego Snajpera” nie oczekiwałam taniego, przepełnionego patosem (niczym ostatnie wojenne filmy Clinta Eastwooda) i pisanego pod publiczkę świadectwa z wojny na Bliskim Wschodzie. I na szczęście tego nie dostałam. Jednak chyba sami przyznacie, że czytanie o tym w jaki sposób obsługiwać dragunowy i przy jakiej prędkości wiatru wystrzeliwać pocisk, aby trafić najcelniej, może być pasjonujące tylko dla fanatyka tej tematyki. Nie żałuję jednak czasu spędzonego nad lekturą książki Eda Nasha - gdyż świadectwo Anglika rozbudziło we mnie zainteresowanie tematyką konfliktów z ISIS, a przez to, że w dużym stopniu nie zaspokoiło mojej “wygłodniałej” ciekawości tym tematem - to zachęciło do sięgnięcia po inne pozycje poruszające problematykę tego koszmarnego konfliktu.
September 8, 2019
Ed Nash ends the book by saying he leaves it up to the reader to decide if he deserves to be called a terrorist. Having read the book, I decide he's not. In fact, he's a hero. He should be commended for the courage he has shown to go place like Syria and fight the ISIS. Also huge respect to him for directly disobeying his commander's order to shoot the civilians.
I also learned a lot about weapons and the tactical side of battles from this book.
I also learned a lot about weapons and the tactical side of battles from this book.
February 19, 2023
I enjoyed this book and appreciated the perspective of the author, who was able to respect the struggle of the Kurdish people - a struggle in which he, himself, participated - while acknowledging shortcomings in the Kurds' tactics. Discussions of the role of various weapons was also very interesting, as was the occasional commentary on Kurdish politics, including the political philosophy of Oçalan and his followers. Definitely worth the time to read if one is at all curious about Kurdistan, or about recent events in the Middle East.
August 16, 2020
Proper true story of how a member of Joe Public got so wound up by what he witnessed happening in Syria he did something about it. Gives a thorough analysis of the political situation on the ground at the height of Isis's power in the region and a cool, calculating view of how they were defeated. Nash is the man so many of us dream and talk of being, his dispassionate view of the inhumane acts he sees, and the best way to deal with them, would have the psychiatrists scratching their heads.
November 4, 2021
A great look at what fighting with the Kurds against the Islamic State in Syria was like!
He was probably more of a designated marksman than a sniper, but he says as much in the book. The sections where we describes facing off against drones and the use of anti-material rifles in urban settings were especially interesting to me.
He was probably more of a designated marksman than a sniper, but he says as much in the book. The sections where we describes facing off against drones and the use of anti-material rifles in urban settings were especially interesting to me.
October 9, 2018
Desert Sniper
The book description says it all. One ordinary Brit (in the understated sense) taking exception to murderous zealots and caring enough to do more than just whine about them. He went to Syria and killed them!
The book description says it all. One ordinary Brit (in the understated sense) taking exception to murderous zealots and caring enough to do more than just whine about them. He went to Syria and killed them!
February 2, 2019
good read and learned a bit about the conflict that was not reported in the media .
July 4, 2019
Interesting read, now feel that I need to find out more about the YPG and the Kurdish situation in general.
March 23, 2021
War on ISIS
One man's take if volunteering to fight against ISIS and describing there account of combat and the difficulties faced when fighting a for without morals.
One man's take if volunteering to fight against ISIS and describing there account of combat and the difficulties faced when fighting a for without morals.
June 7, 2022
Fantastic account of one man's war in Syria, I applaud Ed for his courage in taking a stand for the common people in an appalling conflict.
August 11, 2023
Książka jest ciekawą lekturą i myśle ze warto ją przeczytać. Posiada również elementy humorystyczne.
October 12, 2024
Interesting and even slightly humorous, with some satisfying denigration of the bearded people, but on the whole, not a book I'll be keeping on my shelf.
March 25, 2025
To selflessly risk your life to help others in a part of the world most turn a blind eye too is the truest form of being recognised as a hero.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews