The Outpost
The Most Heroic Battle of the Afghanistan War
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The Outpost
Buy Now for $33.99
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Narrated by:
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Rob Shapiro
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By:
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Jake Tapper
About this listen
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE
The heartbreaking and inspiring story of one of the deadliest battles of the Afghanistan war, acclaimed by critics as a classic.
At 5:58 AM on October 3rd, 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 LimitedCritic 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)
At 6:00 a.m. on October 3, 2009, Combat Outpost Keating was viciously attacked by nearly 400 Taliban fighters. The 53 U.S. troops stationed there—at the bottom of three steep mountains and just 14 miles from the Pakistan border—were severely outmanned. Though the Americans ultimately prevailed, it was one of the deadliest battles of the war for U.S. forces. After more than three years in that valley, the outpost was abandoned and bombed by the U.S. itself. A Pentagon investigation later concluded there was no reason for Keating to have been there in the first place.
In The Outpost, Jake Tapper delivers a tour de force of investigative journalism. He doesn’t just tell the story of the Battle of Kamdesh; instead, he traces years of political compromises, poor decisions, and shifting strategies that led to this tragedy. The book is fundamentally about the mistakes and systemic failures that placed soldiers in such an indefensible position, long before the first shots were fired.
I listened to the audiobook, and while Tapper’s writing was strong enough to keep me engaged, I often found myself wishing for a physical copy or e-book. With so many names, places, and events, maps and photos would have been invaluable. At times I had to pause to look things up online, only to find conflicting information. That’s no fault of the author—just the challenge of this format for such a detailed work.
I’d previously read Red Platoon by Clinton Romesha, which I gave five stars. While that book focuses almost entirely on the battle itself, The Outpost is broader, examining the years of buildup that explain how things went so horribly wrong. Both books complement each other, but Tapper’s is more expansive and political in scope.
What struck me most was the endless cycle of leadership. Commanders rotated in and out of Keating with dizzying speed, each bringing a new interpretation of counterinsurgency. Some tried to win hearts and minds, others were more aggressive, and the locals were left caught in the middle. Miscommunication bred resentment, and once villagers learned the Americans would eventually withdraw, siding with them became a dangerous gamble. They knew that when the Taliban returned, retribution would be brutal.
Tapper also shines a light on the bigger picture—particularly Pakistan’s role in supporting insurgents and the U.S. government’s refusal to hold them accountable. That failure cost the lives of countless coalition soldiers, whether American, Afghan, Australian, British, or Canadian.
The strength of this book lies in Tapper’s writing and his extraordinary ability to humanise the soldiers. Through letters, diaries, interviews with families, and survivor accounts, he makes each man’s story vivid and personal. With so many soldiers included, this could easily have become overwhelming, but instead it feels respectful and moving.
A recurring refrain throughout is the disbelief of new arrivals: Why are we here? Who thought this was defensible? That raw sense of futility is palpable, and Tapper underlines it with an interview with President Obama. Asked if he felt fully apprised of the realities on the ground, Obama replied that while he thought he was, sometimes the military didn’t want to face just how bad things were—they wanted to solve problems rather than acknowledge systemic disaster.
This book also feels like a chilling precursor to America’s eventual withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Just as with Keating, little thought seemed to be given to what would happen after U.S. forces left, and the collapse was swift. After 20 years of occupation, with thousands of lives lost and families forever changed, what was truly achieved? Tapper doesn’t preach, but his account forces readers to wrestle with that haunting question.
The Outpost is powerful, sobering, and exceptionally well-researched. Tapper balances soldier testimony with political critique in a way that is both gripping and devastating. It’s one of the strongest works I’ve read on Afghanistan, and a reminder of the human cost of flawed decisions. I’ll absolutely be seeking out more of Tapper’s writing.
A Harrowing Account of Courage and Catastrophic Mistakes
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