With America's War on Terror and the subsequent democracy experiments in Afghanistan and Iraq having turned into geopolitical disasters, the US military campaign in alliance with the Kurdish forces in Syria is one of the few success stories. Military experts and politicians in Washington, DC, judge the intervention against ISIS in Syria as the nation's most successful campaign since WWII, based on the overwhelming military victory, the functioning Kurdish civilian governing structures that followed the fighting, the extremely light military footprint and the strong link to Kurdish partners many political analysts. However, since neither these experts nor many journalists were on the ground during the fighting, they struggle to explain exactly how this particular operation turned into a just war.

The authors, however, were there. Between the three of them, they fought for over two years with the Kurdish forces. They participated in all the large Kurdish operations against the Islamic State between late 2014 and mid-2016. The endured a muddy archaic trench warfare, witnessed the first waves of decisive US and British airstrikes against ISIS, and experienced the impact America had on the battlefield. Later, when American, British and French Special Forces were deployed at the frontlines, the authors worked closely with those teams when they evacuated hundreds of wounded from the battlefield together.

Based on the authors' unique insights, this book analyses America's war in Syria and structures the intervention into different phases including the secretive build up and the ultimate destruction of the ISIS Caliphate.

"...has relevance for readers studying the conflict in Syria, specifically but also for those looking at American interventions in general. The book would also be useful to those who are studying democratic theory and applying it to developing countries, and the Middle East in particular." - Aether: A Journal of Strategic Airpower & Spacepower 14/12/2022

"The authors take a complex conflict and carefully explain the ever-changing alliances and support from myriad actors…The book was well written and enjoyable. I would suggest it to anyone who works or has interest in national security and modern military history." - Military Review 16/11/2022