The Outpost

The Most Heroic Battle of the Afghanistan War

By: Jake Tapper

Narrated by: Rob Shapiro

Length: 22 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Now a major motion picture.

The heartbreaking and inspiring story of one of the deadliest battles of the Afghanistan war, acclaimed by critics everywhere as a classic.

At 5:58 a.m. on 3rd October 2009, Combat Outpost Keating, located in frighteningly vulnerable terrain in Afghanistan just 14 miles from the Pakistani border, was viciously attacked. Though the 53 soldiers stationed there prevailed against nearly 400 Taliban fighters, their casualties made it the deadliest fight of the war that year. Four months after the battle, a review revealed that there was no reason for the troops at Keating to have been there in the first place.

In The Outpost, Jake Tapper gives us the powerful saga of COP Keating, from its establishment to eventual destruction, introducing us to an unforgettable cast of soldiers and their families. This modern classic of military history is an indictment of the management of the war in Afghanistan and a thrilling tale of true courage in the face of impossible odds.

©2019 Jake Tapper (P)2019 Quercus Editions Limited

Critic reviews

"A mind-boggling, all-too-true story of heroism, hubris, failed strategy, and heartbreaking sacrifice." (Jon Krakauer, author of Into the Wild)

"For those wishing to understand the middle years of the war, they could do no better than to read The Outpost." (Time)

"Tapper lays bare the poor decision-making that shattered dozens of American lives in the pursuit of an ill-conceived goal." (Wall Street Journal)

A tragic story of bravery

A great story of how brave men ultimately find themselves sold down the river by politicians