From the Publisher
On the tenth anniversary of Canada''s involvement, a
leading journalist offers a fascinating assessment of Canada''s
past and present role in the Afghan war
Of the 33,000 troops under NATO command in Afghanistan in
October 2006, 12,000 were Americans and 2,500 were Canadians.
Deployed to southern Afghanistan, the Canadian forces were charged
with ending the violent insurgency in Kandahar Province. The
Savage War offers a compelling look at how the war has been
conducted by Canada and its allies on the ground and at the highest
echelons. With unprecedented access to classified documents and the
exceptional storytelling skills that have made him an award-winning
reporter, Murray Brewster offers a powerful new perspective on the
war.
Told in the first person by a journalist who''s spent more time
in the trenches than any of his peers, The Savage War
provides a candid look at the war''s principal figures captured in
off-camera moments and the daily, gritty reality of ordinary
soldiers and Afghans. And as Canada prepares to take on a new
mission in Afghanistan, this is the first comprehensive account of
the five most significant years of the war and the key moments in
it that shaped history.
- Murray Brewster provides tough-minded analysis and a critique
of bureaucracy as well as revelations about corruption-sure to
incite commentary and stir controversy
- Includes eyewitness accounts, exclusive interviews, and access
to classified documents
- An unflinching, unvarnished analysis of Canada''s role in the
war, told in first-person by a journalist who has sat in trenches
with soldiers, and also in the living room of 24 Sussex Drive with
the prime minister
Taking readers beyond punditry and political spin, The
Savage War is the first comprehensive account of the key
moments in the Afghan war that have shaped history. Many have asked
what went wrong. The Savage War tackles this question head
on.
From the Jacket
The Savage War: The Untold Battles of Afghanistan is a
detailed, inside account of the conflict that has shackled nations.
It is an unflinching, unvarnished analysis of Canada''s role in the
war, told in the first-person by someone-award-winning defence
correspondent Murray Brewster- who not only sat in the trenches
with soldiers, but also in the living room of 24 Sussex Drive with
the prime minister. It is the first comprehensive account of the
five most significant years of the war and the key moments which
shaped history.
As the country prepares to take on a new mission in Afghanistan,
many Canadians are asking themselves what happened and what went
wrong in Kandahar. The Savage War tackles those questions
head on, taking the reader beyond the political spin and past the
talking heads. The war''s principal figures are captured in dozens
of candid, off-camera moments. Stories of ordinary soldiers, the
grit they exhibited, the sweat and blood they sacrificed, are told
alongside the stories of Afghans,whose lives were torn asunder.
About the Author
MURRAY BREWSTER (Ottawa) is the Senior Defence
Correspondent with The Canadian Press. Since 2006, Brewster logged
15 months on the ground in Afghanistan. When not in Kandahar, he
covered the war in Ottawa, London, Paris, Washington and other NATO
capitals. Some of the stories he has broken have rattled chains in
Ottawa-the Veterans Affairs privacy scandal involving Sean Bruyea,
the dumping of veterans ombudsman Pat Stogran, the role of CSIS in
interrogations of captured Taliban fighters, and DND''s silence
over wounded soldiers. He has been interviewed on the CBC, CTV, and
on radio stations across the country, and has lectured to Canadian
and American forces and journalists. Brewster was a finalist (1989)
in the Michener Awards for public service in journalism.
