Michael Yon

Kandahar, Afghanistan 08 February 2010 American troops are spread widely across Afghanistan. Some are remote and accessibility is difficult. In 2008, I was with six soldiers in Zabul Province who didn’t even get mail for three months. They had no

15 January 2010 Cobra Battery at FOB Frontenac Arghandab, Afghanistan Artillery is called “The King of Battle.” When it comes to the delivery of force, probably nothing outside of nuclear weapons can outmatch the sustained delivery of extreme brutality. Cannons

Arghandab, Afghanistan New Year’s Eve, 2009 On this small base surrounded by a mixture of enemy and friendly territory, a memorial has been erected just next to the Chapel. Inside the tepee are 21 photos of 21 soldiers killed during

20 December 2009 Arghandab, Afghanistan As Christmas approaches, many people are thinking about the troops, who in turn are thinking about loved ones at home. Cards and letters are tacked up on many walls. The favorites are from the little

13 December 2009 Kandahar, Afghanistan People are confused about the war. The situation is difficult to resolve even for those who are here. For most of us, the conflict remains out of focus, lacking reference of almost any sort. Vertigo

16 November 2009 When New York Times journalist David Rohde was kidnapped last year in Afghanistan, the company engaged in a painstaking effort to squash the story. They succeeded in persuading major media who learned of the kidnapping to keep

08 November 2009 Got a ping today about an attack on the road between Jalalabad and Kabul. It’s a dangerous road and I don’t like to drive it. The source has always been reliable, so I pinged Tim Lynch (who

November 04, 2009 Helo Halo Luminous halos twirled above a Boeing CH-47 Chinook on a recent night around 11:30 p.m. local time at Forward Operating Base Jackson in Sangin, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, as helicopters ferried casualties and supplies in and

03 November 2009 British soldiers at war are an incredible group. Courageous, competent, and committed in very difficult conditions. An email came today from London, from a BBC correspondent who has been to Afghanistan saying that Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid

21 October 2009 In 2008, I was trekking in the Himalayas in Nepal preparing for a return to Afghanistan. A message came from a British officer suggesting to end the trip and get to Afghanistan. Something was up, and I

[This dispatch was written by me in December 2008 in southern Afghanistan. It was never published though I recently found it in the unpublished archives. The photos came from the same period.] Published: from Nepal on 14 October 2009 On

Published: 12 October 2009 from Nargarkot, Nepal Kandahar City, Afghanistan Slowly, surely, the city is being strangled. Signaling the depth of our commitment, security forces are thinner in Kandahar than the Himalayan air. During the days and evenings, there were

Sangin, Afghanistan Published: 08 October 2009 “In April this year it became 2 Rifles’ dubious fortune to be sent to Sangin on a six-month tour. By mid-August their battle group, a composite force from various units built around a core

July 2009, Sangin, Afghanistan. 05 October 2009 In July, British soldiers and I boarded a CH-47 helicopter at Camp Bastion for the flight to FOB Jackson at Sangin where fighting is brutal. The helicopter was so stuffed with men, gear

Note: I asked Danish journalist Camilla Fuhr Nilsson to write a couple of stories about the Air Force Pedros. After publication of her first installment, she emailed from Afghanistan, surprised to have gotten “thank you” notes from readers. As a

I asked Danish journalist Camilla Fuhr Nilsson to write two dispatches about USAF Pedros. Camilla accompanied me at Camp Bastion. Here is the first: By Camilla Fuhr Nilsson Published: 27 September 2009 It is the last weekend of August 2009.

By Michael Yon 25 September 2009 The surprise discontinuation of my embedment from the British Army left my schedule in a train wreck. Until that decisive moment, I am told, that my embed with the British Army had lasted longer

Published: 24 September 2009 Dear Mr. Yon: It is my pleasure to forward to you the attached copy of the amicus curiae brief which we filed with the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on

14 September 2009 Helmand Province, Afghanistan With the war increasing, Air Force Pararescue has been crisscrossing the skies picking up casualties. That’s the Green Zone of Helmand Province, the opium capital of the world. Those fields are the great ATM

08 September 2009 Helmand Province, Afghanistan Just before the mission, soldiers form up near the memorial for our fallen. The mission was simple. Taliban had been watching FOB Inkerman and British patrols from various compounds and we were going to

6 September 2009 This story was published in the New York Daily News on 6 September 2009. Helmand, Afghanistan – The West is losing this war. This has been obvious for more than three years. Less obvious is that in

31 August 2009 Helmand Province, Afghanistan The historical Afghan elections scheduled for 20 August were days away. While the west mostly continued to vote for Afghanistan, the big question was, “Will Afghanistan vote for itself?” The latest media wave splashed

27 August 2009 My embed with British forces has ended. Will be out with U.S. forces for the foreseeable future. After that, will strike out alone into the wilds of Afghanistan. There are two more stories in the pipeline about