12 Strong : The Declassified True Story of the Horse Soldiers

12 Strong : The Declassified True Story of the Horse Soldiers
ISBN: 9781501178511
Publication Date: 1 January 2018

Previously published as Horse Soldiers, 12 Strong is the dramatic account of a small band of Special Forces soldiers who secretly entered Afghanistan following 9/11 and rode to war on horses against the Taliban. Outnumbered forty to one, they pursued the enemy army across the mountainous Afghanistan terrain and, after a series of intense battles, captured the city of Mazar-i-Sharif. The bone-weary American soldiers were welcomed as liberators as they rode into the city. Then the action took a wholly unexpected turn.

During a surrender of six hundred Taliban troops, the Horse Soldiers were ambushed by the would-be POWs. Dangerously overpowered, they fought for their lives in the city's immense fortress, Qala-i-Janghi, or the House of War. At risk were the military gains of the entire campaign: if the soldiers perished or were captured, the entire effort to outmaneuver the Taliban was likely doomed.

About the Author

Doug Stanton is a journalist, lecturer, screenwriter, and author of the New York Times bestsellers In Harm's Way and Horse Soldiers, which is published in 2017 as 12 Strong. His newest book is The Odyssey Of Echo Company. Horse Soldiers is the basis for a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced movie titled 12 Strong, starring Chris Hemsworth and Michael Shannon. In Harm's Way, the definitive account of the sinking, rescue and valor of the USS Indianapolis ship and crew, spent more than six months on the New York Times bestseller list and became required reading on the US Navy's recommended list for officers. The unabridged audiobook edition of In Harm's Way is the winner of the 2017 Audie Award in the History category. Horse Soldiers was featured on the front page of the Sunday New York Times Book Review.

Stanton has appeared on numerous TV and r...