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Blood, Metal and Dust

How Victory Turned into Defeat in Afghanistan and Iraq

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Blood, Metal and Dust

By: Brigadier (retired) Ben Barry OBE
Narrated by: Christopher Ragland
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Bloomsbury presents Blood, Metal and Dust by Ben Barry, read by Christopher Ragland.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON MEDAL FOR MILITARY HISTORY 2021, THE BRITISH ARMY BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021, AS A FINALIST FOR THE 2020 ARMY HISTORICAL FOUNDATION DISTINGUISHED WRITING AWARDS. FIRST RUNNER UP IN THE TEMPLER MEDAL BOOK PRIZE 2021.

'With a soldier’s eye for telling operational details, Ben Barry offers an authoritative, compelling and inevitably bleak account of the American and British campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.' Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies, King’s College London

Newly revised and updated with in-depth analysis of the current situation in Afghanistan after American withdrawal, Blood, Metal and Dust is an authoritative account of how the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were played out, explaining their underlying politics and telling the story of what happened on the ground.

From the high-ranking officer who wrote the still-classified British military analysis of the war in Iraq comes the authoritative history of two conflicts which have overshadowed the beginning of the 21st century. Inextricably linked to the ongoing ‘War on Terror’, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan dominated more than a decade of international politics, and their influence is felt to this day.

Blood, Metal and Dust is the first military history to offer a comprehensive overview of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, providing in-depth accounts of the operations undertaken by both US and UK forces. Brigadier Ben Barry explores the wars which shaped the modern Middle East, providing a detailed narrative of operations as they unfolded.

With unparalleled access to official military accounts and extensive contacts in both the UK and the US militaries, Brigadier Barry is uniquely placed to tell the story of these controversial conflicts, and offers a rounded account of the international campaigns which irrevocably changed the global geopolitical landscape.©2023 Marcus Cowper (P)2020 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Middle East Military War United Kingdom Royalty Iran
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Critic reviews

At one level Blood, Metal and Dust is a clear, dispassionate and succinct military history of the post-9/11 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But it is much more important than that. As the US and UK turn their backs too quickly on both wars, they are in danger of disregarding the lessons and so failing to profit from their experiences. This book puts that right. Ben Barry is forthright in his criticisms and depressingly correct in his conclusions. Blood, Metal and Dust is essential reading.
With a soldier’s eye for telling operational details, Ben Barry offers an authoritative, compelling and inevitably bleak account of the American and British campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Blood, Metal and Dust is a seminal work that exploits newly available archival material to produce a riveting account of the allies’ wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Armed with a keen scholarly eye and long military experience, Ben Barry dissects key decision points and pitched battles ranging from Tora Bora, Operation Medusa and Wanat in Afghanistan to the US Marines’ Anbar campaign, Operation Viking Hammer in Kurdistan, and the Sadr City battle of 2008. His unsparing judgments should inform future war planning, making this book required reading for the policymaker and the practitioner alike.
The telling of this particular audit of war is accomplished with precision and with dispassionate honesty. This book is required reading. (Mark Barnes)
This is without doubt the best military history of the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan I have read to date.
Blood, Metal and Dust is an essential, landmark work. (Mungo Melvin)
Blood, Metal and Dust is the essential account of the 21st-century wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. (Martin Purbrick)
This is a must-read.
Lucid, wide-ranging and thorough, for students of the West’s recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan it will remain an indispensable resource for years to come.
Blood, Metal and Dust makes an excellent contribution to the understanding on the War on Terror.
All stars
Most relevant
This should be an interesting book but I am struggling with it. It doesn’t flow and there are a number of repetitions, it sort of feels like someone reading a report that doesn’t go into depth. An example is a chapter called S.O.F but it then doesn’t seem to go into any great detail about special operations. Maybe it’s just me.

Interesting but……

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Well articulated analysis of both the military and political events and their impact on the timeline of events. An excellent read that should be compulsory reading in military colleges and by politicians that aspire to be able to provide leadership to provide the context in which the military has to operate.

Excellent Analysis

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Why an American when the author is British? Having been on both Relic and Herrick I found this book correct and informative.

As someone who was there.

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This is an excellent account of the Iraq and Afghan wars with a brilliant preamble which puts the two conflicts into a geopolitical context. It is great to hear an assessment of the wars that mentions the UK, AUS, FRA, GER etc activities rather than just labelling everything "The US and it's allies". The UK Ops in Basra chapters are especially enlightening. If nothing else it gives a great historical account at the operational level of the two wars and how they unfolded.

Sadly, it is let down by the narration. Why an American was selected to read this book written by an Ex British Army Officer escapes me. He consistently miss-pronounces words such as 'co-located' and Helmand place names that are well known to the British. His pronouncing of 'Kosovo' and 'Afghanistan' is also very irritating. He should be narrating Pixar film trailers about talking animals rather than strategic assessments of modern conflicts. He made it difficult for me listen to the book for long periods of time. Despite this I would still recommend this book.

Excellent book, poor narration.

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This book covers all the bases, it exposes just how and why we lost both Iraq and Afghanistan, this book doesn't pull any punches! I was shocked at just how badly we got it wrong! Recommended!

An excellent listen

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