New Book Examines the CIA’s Role in Achieving Victory in the Days Following 9/11

Savas Beatie recently announced the release of Foxtrot in Kandahar: A Memoir of a CIA Officer in Afghanistan at the Inception of America’s Longest War by Duane Evans, which gives an insider’s look at the CIA’s daring campaign against al-Qaeda after 9/11, in the center of the Taliban’s heartland.

Kandahar. An ancient desert crossroads, and as of fall of 2001, ground zero for the Taliban and al-Qa’ida in southern Afghanistan. In the north, the U.S.-supported Northern Alliance, the Afghan organization opposed to the Taliban regime, has made progress on the battlefield and Kabul has fallen. But in the south, the country is still under the Taliban’s sway, and al-Qa’ida continues to operate there. With no “Southern Alliance” for the U.S. to support, a new strategy is called for. Veteran CIA officer Duane Evans is dispatched to Pakistan to “get something going in the South.”

“Foxtrot in Kandahar is my personal account of what I experienced leading a CIA team in southern Afghanistan in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks,” states Evans. “It is my hope that it sheds light on what transpired on the ground in this historic and unconventional campaign to destroy al-Qa’ida and overthrow the final remnants of the Taliban government in their stronghold of the city of Kandahar.”

This is the true story of Evans’s unexpected journey from the pristine halls of Langley to the badlands of southern Afghanistan. Within hours after he watched the horrors of 9/11 unfold during a chance visit to FBI Headquarters, Evans begins a personal and relentless quest to become part of the U.S. response against al-Qa’ida. This memoir tracks his efforts to join one of CIA’s elite teams bound for Afghanistan, a journey that eventually takes him to the front lines in Pakistan, first as part of the advanced element of CIA’s Echo team supporting Hamid Karzai, and finally as leader of the under-resourced and often overlooked Foxtrot team.

Relying on rusty military skills from Evans’s days as a Green Beret and brandishing a traded-for rifle, he moves toward Kandahar, one of only a handful of Americans pushing forward across the desert in the company of Pashtun warriors; giving the reader a rare glimpse at Afghanistan’s stunning landscapes and warring tribal factions.

The ultimate triumph of the CIA and Special Forces teams, when absolutely everything was on the line, is tempered by the U.S. tragedy that catalyzed what is now America’s longest war. Evans’s very personal adventure that unfolds within the pages of Foxtrot in Kandahar, including his thoughts on the success of his efforts, their effect on the war, and his opinions of its conduct today, should be required reading for everyone interested in modern warfare.

“Duane Evans was one of a handful of patriots who went to war in Afghanistan in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. He overcame multiple obstacles to build a combined force of CIA, DOD, and Afghan tribal fighters that helped defeat the Taliban in their stronghold,” said Frank Archibald, former Deputy Director for Operations at the CIA.

“His important book contributes greatly to the history of the campaign in southern Afghanistan and to our understanding of unconventional warfare in the 21st century. Mr. Evans deserves our thanks for his valiant service fighting terrorists and for writing this valuable book,” continued Archibald.

About the Author: Duane Evans is a former CIA officer with field tours on four continents to include serving as Chief of Station, CIA’s most senior field position. He is the recipient of the Intelligence Star for Valor and the Career Intelligence Medal. Prior to joining the Agency he was a U.S. Army Special Forces and Military Intelligence officer. He is also the author of the novel North From Calcutta.

About Savas Beatie LLC: Savas Beatie is an award-winning independent publishing company specializing in military and general history titles distributed worldwide.

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This release was published on openPR.