A harrowing account of the Siege of Musa Qal'eh, Afghanistan, in 2006, told in the words of the men who fought there. Shamrocks Among The Poppies recounts how a small band of Royal Irish Regiment and other soldiers - isolated and outnumbered - fought to hold a run-down, mud-brick compound against determined and well-armed Taliban insurgents who were intent on their destruction. As well as providing a graphic description of life - and death - in the compound, during over five weeks of repeated, heavy Taliban assaults, the book sets out the controversial background to - and the consequences of - the UK's decision to shift its focus to Afghanistan while still heavily engaged in the US-led invasion of Iraq. It highlights the failures of intelligence and high-level political and military decision-making that resulted in the dispatch of a force that was too small and under-resourced for the tasks it faced, and how British troops found themselves scattered in penny-packets across Northern Helmand, fighting for their lives against a ferocious and fearless enemy, as they tried to shore-up a weak and frightened Provincial Governor. Just as importantly, however, the author lifts the lid on the long-term effects of the prolonged, high-intensity combat on the mental health of many of the men who were there, as well as the shameful failure of Government to ensure that the veterans of Musa Qal'eh could access the care they needed when they returned. AUTHOR: Former Army officer, Lt Col Derek Plews VR worked as a journalist in Northern Ireland before joining the UK Civil Service as a press officer. A reservist, Plews left the civil service in 2006 to deploy to Afghanistan. He subsequently completed tours of duty in Iraq before taking up various appointments at the Ministry of Defence. Retiring in 2020, he wrote A Brilliant Little Victory, a history of the 48th (South Midland) Division in the First World War. He now divides his time between conducting historical research, visiting First World War battlefields, and volunteering with a local museum trust. 3 b/w illustrations, 15 colour photos, 3 b/w maps
