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Those Who Face Death: The Untold Story of Special Forces and the Iraqi Kurdish Resistance

by Mark Grdovic

A little-known northern front in the 2003 Iraq invasion

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A little-known northern front in the 2003 Iraq invasion

Set in spring 2003, Mark Grdovic’s account centers on a special operation intended to draw Iraqi forces toward the north while the US-led invasion advanced in the south. Its military objective depends on a complicated alliance: the Special Forces and CIA operatives must work with Kurdish Peshmerga factions while navigating internal divisions, uncertain Turkish support, and an Islamist group holding territory near the Iraq-Iran border. The description also emphasizes the operation’s isolation before the war began, with no extraction, medical evacuation, or air support available. The book brings military planning and Kurdish resistance together in an account of a lesser-known part of the Iraq War.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in the Iraq War and its military operations.
  • Readers seeking accounts involving US Special Forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga.
  • Readers interested in the political and military challenges of wartime alliances.

Themes

Special operationsKurdish resistanceWartime alliancesMilitary planning and uncertainty

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Spring, 2003.

 

A small group of Special Forces and CIA operatives must establish a second front to tie down the Iraqi Army in the north to support the pending US-led invasion in the south.

 

The mission sounds simple. The reality is anything but.

 

The plan is to infiltrate into Iraq ahead of the invasion, link up with the Kurdish Peshmerga, and coordinate their efforts against the Iraqi Army.

 

The Peshmerga, which translates to those who face death, have risen up several times in the recent past, only to be abandoned by the US and subsequently slaughtered by the Iraqi army.

 

Before the Special Forces have any chance of posing a viable threat to the Iraqi Army, they must first convince the Kurdish factions to put their differences aside, resolve the issue of Turkey's wavering support, and neutralize an Islamist group that has seized Kurdish territory along the Iraq-Iran border.

 

The details of the invasion are classified. The clock is ticking, and time is running out.

 

Once in Iraq, there will be no extraction, medical evacuation, or air support until the war begins. The Green Berets will be on their own.

 

Those Who Face Death is the incredible true story of this little-known special operation and a testament to the courage, skill, and perseverance of the US Special Forces in the face of overwhelming odds.

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