real general dostum and mitch nelson

Dostums men have been throwing down grenades and pouring in gasoline and lighting it, but the foreign Taliban refuse to come up. I screened the war drama 12 Strong with a group of military spouse bloggers recently in Hollywood. Robert Young Pelton, all rights reserved. The man is terribly thin and severely hypothermic. The first words I wanted to learn in Dari were, How do you make him stop?, Their most important immediate order of business was to establish themselves in Dostums eyes. A man who is said by some journalists to define violence and treachery. It also means a great deal to our families, who sacrifice so much, that what we accomplished is finally being brought more into public light. The task inspires him to try to express his feelings about the past two months. The bread we ate was half-mixed with dirt. We were ready to throw down the mattress and settle in for the night when one of the security guards came up with a radio and said that Dostum needed someone to go up to the front to call in aircraft. Others begin the work of the day without even paying attention to the nearby fighting. Robert Young Pelton, all rights reserved. Not long before Im to leave, Dostum asks for help with a letter of condolence to the widow of Mike Spann. It was right at dark. Each member had an average of eight years experience and most had combat experience in either Desert Storm, Kosovo or Somalia. . It turns out theyre staying next door, guests in Dostums house. I now have a friend named Mark, Dostum says, referring to the Green Beret captain. ODA 555 was inserted next in the east in the Panjshir Valley, with the mission of working with ethnic Tajik fighters. We roll past weathered villages unchanged in two millennia. They linked up with Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum and his Uzbek fighters. His lack of combat experience is pointed out in the movie. I dont think I will make it through this one he wrote me in an email just hours before he was gunned down on a raid in Ramadi. It feels like a scene out of a bad Mexican movie. By the time the team had arrived in Qali-i-Jangi they were gaunt, sick but eager to keep up the fight. Dostums first stop was the blue mosque at the tomb of Hazrat Ali, the revered son-in-law of the Prophet. Airstrikes, AC130s and Hazara guards had killed all but 86 al Qaeda and Taliban fighters Robert Young Pelton, all rights reserved. -The Fayetteville Observer. Not exactly. In real life, they learned of the first plane hitting the World Trade Center over the truck's radio on their way back to the base. Now, in a scene that has been repeated over and over for the past 2,000 years, a warlord is arriving. That I am kind and gentle? -The Fayetteville Observer, Yes. Chris Hemsworth's character's real-life counterpart, Mark Nutsch, had worked on a cattle ranch when he was younger and was one of the few members of the 12-man team who had experience riding horses. The idea that that Dostum would actually savethe day for an embattledAmerica is an irony that has not fully played out. The steel gate to the guest house opens, and Dostum strolls out, hands in pockets, and is ushered into a black Audi Quattro with tinted windows. He waves the accomplishment aside with a shy smile even as he promises to introduce me to his new trophiesthe mullahs. However, at least 3 false starts delayed their deployment for almost a month. They chose not bullets or grenades but ordnance that ranged from Maverick missiles to laser-guided bombs. SFC Bill Bennett RIP Robert Young Pelton, all rights reserved. On the next pass, three more bombs went through the hole in the roof made by the first bomb, killing most of the holdouts inside. Our commanders said they didnt know what to expect, but at least they were honest enough to admit it, the Green Beret continues. "We dispersed the team at several positions along the ridges of the Tiangi." After the American bombing campaign decimated their forces, Walker and members of his unit fled on foot nearly a hundred miles west to Kunduzall for nothing, as it turned out. They were forced to spend the night on the river bank after dense fog made it impossible to navigate their Zodiac inflatable boats. "We slept on the ground the first couple of nights." "I don't need food for my horses," he said. Theyd heard rumors that he was 80 years old, that he didnt have use of his right arm. In the courtyard, a soft-eyed cow tries to eat spilled oats just beyond its reach. Up until now the CIA has been hog-tied. Mitch Nelson (1963-) was a US Army captain during the Afghanistan War . Transfixed, they watch the Christmas tree being lit in Rockefeller Center. In a village on the outskirts of Balkh, the convoy rumbles to a halt near an ancient castle that is now a rounded mound of tan mud. You see this grid? The shelling, raping, pillaging, looting, and house-to-house fighting that then befell Kabul stained the name of every mujahidin commander, including Dostums, and fueled his reputation for brutality. An event and a man I will never forget. -Den of Geek. Robert Young Pelton, all rights reserved, The scene at the hospital is ugly. So I approach a war movie set in the days after 9/11 with a certain amount of skepticism. The two Afghan leaders study a map with Captain Mark, just in case air strikes are needed. Nelson commits to leading 595 into Afghanistan as word of the disastrous terrorist attacks that day breaks. People demanded that I do something, says Dostum. But the story gradually emerges. But I never travel without a few Mr. Mark Nutsch shares the true-life story of helping lead what is considered the most successful . If the U.S. Special Forces team didnt work together with General Dostum and his militia, they would have had no chance against the tens of thousands of Taliban fighters. But the US Armed Forces were thin on the ground, and were potentially facing around 50,000 Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters. Astoundingly, after two days of bombardment, the prisoners still control the fort. One of the soldiers from the ODA 595 died later while serving in Iraq. I watch a fighter go up to the top, then crumple into a black pile of rags. It turned out that 900 Pakistani Taliban had been left behind in a madrasah in the center of a compound about the size of a city block, and they were ready to fight to the death. He told them his name was Abdul Hamid. That he is known to be a deft alliance makerand breaker. This time there is no convoy; just a son paying his respects to his father. Note that there is strong language throughout, as well as violence. The estimated 30 Alliance soldiers who died have already been taken away by their friends. The morning after Heavy Ds return from Kunduz, he greets me with a deep, booming Howareyou? Today, he tells me, he is eager for me to meet his trophy mullahs. When Dostum frowns, his features gather into a dark, Stalin-like scowlhis usual expression for formal portraits. Its a high, lonely place. In the conservative press I am criticized for being too gentle in my questioning of an obvious traitor, on the left for cold-bloodedly tricking a helpless boy into incriminating himself. Theyre polite but wary about having their pictures taken as they set up their night-vision scopes. We could see a bunch of Taliban come out of another bunker complex off to the south and disappear behind a hill. They were setting up fixed positionsbunkers with Y-shaped fighting trencheson the northern side of the gap. Dostum stays in contact with the Americans by radio, working to help focus the bombing: a man with a seventh-grade education directing the fire of the worlds most powerful military. I thought the guy was this ruthless warlord, one soldier says. Armored personnel carriers jerk to life in clouds of black diesel exhaust. But back in 2001, Warlord Dostum who was head of the Jumbesh political party had simpler but identical goals: Align with the U.S. to return from exile in Turkey and bring the Taliban into the new government. As the Hespan drips into his veins, I fire up the video camera, and the man begins to tell his story. Later on he had a dark premonition. They told us, If Dostum wants to go to Kabul, you are going with him. "We knew nothing about these guys," retired Lt. Gen. John F. Mulholland said. Over 5000 Taliban remained hidden in surrounding villages. The Americans, up on the ridge, are using GPS units to finalize coordinates. We kept moving north on horseback, but at that point, no one could tell where the front line was anymore. "If they got in trouble, there was very little I could do and nothing I could do quickly. In exploring how accurate 12 Strong is, we learned that some members of the ODA 595 Special Forces team had been involved in a nighttime training exercise along the Cumberland River. In a tiny, sparse room are his father, Dostums former teacher, and a village elder. Dostum, a former Communist general, had a reputation for violence. The mission was also chronicled in Doug Stanton's 2009 book, Horse Soldiers, on which the movie is based. No one individual was the model for the statue. Mitch Nelson, a character based on Nutsch. What we are doing now has not occurred since Vietnam. -The Fayetteville Observer, Only two of the characters in the film actually have the same names as their real-life Green Beret counterparts. Marco Polo App Improves Communication for Military Families. . And that he became the first Afghan commander to take over a major city when he entered Mazar-e Sharif on November 10. Is Captain Mitch Nelson still alive? What made working with him particularly dangerous was that he was known for switching sides during several conflicts with Afghanistan. Once the plane got there, it circled about six times, Paul says. The trapped Taliban volunteers, it seems, remain hungry for martyrdom. The credits claim that General Dostum and Captain Mitch Nelson have remained friends in real life . The Regulators have served in the gulf war, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and in other places they cant talk about. "My men are hungry. The book was quietly taken out of print. We thought he was wounded. He was authorized to transform his Jowyzjani militia into the 53rd Infantry Division in 1988 and ultimately under the Soviet backed regime of Najibullah, he became commander of the 7th Army Corps in charge of all of Northern Afghanistan. As we explored the accuracy of 12 Strong, we discovered that a group of both currently-serving and retired U.S. special operators were involved in the making of the movie, mainly to make sure that the filmmakers represented soldiers and combat accurately. After four times or so, they didnt get bombed, so they just stayed there. This is the first close-air-support strike in years in an urban area, says Air Force Steve. You call in an airplane; you say, Can you see that place? One key point noted repeatedly (and military spouses already know this!) Captain Nelson was determined to get the mission done in a timely fashion because of the promise he made to his superiors. "They weirdly are a formidable force that will continue to fight, no matter what.". What your name? He is a thick man with a pug nose, bad skin, tiny teeth, and a cruel stare. That heavy reliance on tanks and trucks meant the Taliban wound up fighting a defensive, Russian-style war. He refused to talk to his parents and he was takenback to our guesthouse for his protection. Shattered, bearded men lie everywhere on stretchers, covered by thin blue sheets. In contrast to the Americans high-tech warfare, some of Dostums tactics would have seemed familiar to the British troops who tried and failed to pacify this region in the 19th century. Starring Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Pea, Copyright 2023 HistoryvsHollywood.com, CTF Media, Horse Soldiers Documentary & Related Videos, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. The Regulators job was to invent a new form of warfare: coordinating lightly armed horseback attacks with massive applications of American air powerall without hitting civilians or friendly forces. The conflict began with several hundred Taliban troops moving into positions on an adjacent hill. However, one was dropped due to a lack of confidence in the team. During the press conference with filmmakers and cast members after the movie screening, all expressed their pride in relaying the story of true-life heroes that had been classified until recently. The sound of canon firecontinues without a break but at a slower pace. Then the war began. From there, American and Afghan forces would liberate Kabul in the east, Herat in the west, Kandahar in the south, and Jalalabad, resulting in the Afghan forces taking control of the country from the Taliban. We accepted a huge amount of risk." Beyond that, all I know is that Dostum, born a poor peasant, grew up to be a brilliant commander, a general, and a warlordone of the many regional leaders across Afghanistan whose power derives both from ethnic loyalties and from military strength. I was full of emotions. He talked for half an hour. Dostums strategy was now their strategy: to ride roughshod over Taliban positions up the Darra-e Suf Valley, roll north over the Tingi Pass in the Alborz Range, then sweep north across the plains and liberate Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistans second largest city. The dirty gray mushroom cloud slowly bends in the wind. I grab my cameras and ask Bill, a pensive Green Beret medic, to come with me. He takes my hand in a meaty grip and apologizes for being dirty and tired; he has just driven eight hours on a shattered road from Kunduz. At first, their mission was one of personnel recovery, tasked with rescuing any pilots shot down during the air war in Afghanistan. Headstrong and known to get into fights,was adept at the game of buzkashi, in which horsemen attempt to toss the headless carcass of a calf into a circle. Dostums men kick the corpses into the trenches and cover them with the tan dirt, not bothering to count the dead. Moments later Mike would be murdered by prisoners. Robert Young Pelton, all rights reserved, The joy was short-lived. Wide four members of American Special Forces and General Abdul Rashid Dostum of the Northern Alliance2. Both of the named Green Berets are commanding officers, John Mulholland and Max Bowers. Dostum in September 2014 First Vice President of Afghanistan In office 29 September 2014 - 19 February 2020 President Ashraf Ghani Preceded by Yunus Qanuni Succeeded by Amrullah Saleh Personal details Born (1954-03-25) 25 March 1954(age 68)[1] Khwaja Du Koh, Jowzjan, Kingdom of Afghanistan Political party Junbish-e Milli Nationality Afghanistan I looked at Lahl and said, Bombs away. We had 30 seconds till impact; meanwhile, the Afghan horde is screaming down this ridgeline. The lead horsemen disappeared behind the rocks, and the Regulators all held their breath, praying the bombs would reach the bunkers before the cavalry did. And theyd been told that he was the most powerful anti-Taliban leader in northern Afghanistan. There were roughly 200 paid Afghan soldiers under General Dostum's command and an undetermined number of part-time militia. After all, can Hollywood do this topic justice? The entrance to the bunker was pierced by cannon shots and is blackened from explosions. The team set up on the roof of a building about 400 meters from the madrasah and called in a strike. Bill and the team were wearing armor decorated with my logo when he died. People still walk by the 16-foot bronze statue of a Green Beret on horseback overlooking Ground Zero and are unaware of its significance (the Horse Soldiers monument is pictured near the bottom of this page). The movie isn't revealing anything new. When we climbed up to the top of that hill, we could see the Taliban on the other side, regrouping for the final attempt to stop us. Here Spann interviews Lindh but Lindh remains silent. Then the radios are jammed with Dostums men shouting and celebrating. The Horse Soldiers monument in New York City is not based on any one person. How do you love your family and leave them to go to war? At least two Red Cross workers who descend into the bunker are shot and wounded. Mitch Nelson in the film about a team of Green Berets on a strategic mission in Afghanistan in the days immediately following 9/11. They placed it in a body bag and lowered it into the ground. Now the CIA and spec ops have been let loose., Dostums men were a loose alliance that grew with every victory against the Taliban. We will never end wars if we dont understand how to win them. The horses cast long shadows in the late afternoon. 12 Strong - Navid Negahban "General Dostum" [On-Set Interview]Subscribe and click the notification bell HERE: http://goo.gl/SrrTlTSubscribe to Filmisnow Movi. Like in the 12 Strong movie, Nutsch helped teach the other team members how to ride. This included using horses to navigate the mountainous region. (Within a week, he will be named deputy minister of defense for the new interim government of Afghanistan.) That, says Dostum, was when the war against terror began., Living in caves and raiding Taliban positions, Dostums men slowly began to harass the well-entrenched Taliban along the Darra-e Suf. After the seventh grade, Dostum left school to help his father on the family farm. They huddle in brown blankets, trying to avoid the soaking rain. Support Dostum. The Regulators rush to catch up in two mud-covered cars. I was sick of this guy running back and forth getting ammo. At first, the planes wouldnt fly below 15,000 feetthe brass was worried about surface-to-air missilesso targeting was sketchy. More than 400 prisoners are said to have died; I count only about 50 bodies in the courtyard. It feels even more odd when I discover that these are Green Beretssoldiers who truly specialize in the worlds hot spots. The old creed is that we never leave a guy behind. The Regulators wanted to find the prisoners who had killed Spann and attacked a second CIA man who was questioning the Taliban. 12 Strong: Directed by Nicolai Fuglsig. This is the back jacket of The Hunt for Bin Laden ghostwritten by the late Jack Idema and published as non fiction by Random House editor Bob Loomis. July 22, 2018. Late in the afternoon, a convoy of mud-spattered off-road vehicles pulls up, and a dozen dusty Americans in tan chocolate chip camo climb out. These are the soldiers I saw back at Qala Jangi preparing to go in and retrieve the body of the dead CIA agent, Mike Spann. Advertise who will play the wife of Mitch Nelson opposite her real-life husband, Chris Hemsworth. It's true that Dostum said that he would rather see 500 of his own men killed than see a scratch on an American soldier. They have been blowing themselves up with grenades. "We think they got it, they got the spirit of the Special Forces team in the post-9/11 moment in American history," said team leader Mark Nutsch, portrayed by Chris Hemsworth in the movie. Robert Young Pelton, all rights reserved. There are 86 al Qaeda fighter in the basement, including John Walker Lindh. In the morning Villagers come out in the crisp, golden light of morning, shivering and tired. Now, on most mornings, Dostum emerges from his house, squinting into a crowd of turbaned men waiting for an audience. No one knew just when or where the team would be sent. After a cinematic pause to allow the implications of his arrival to sink in, Dostum phones the village leadership from the Audi: Send out your weapons and any fighters or were going in. The prisoners were not properly searched by members of the Northern Alliance before they were crammed onto trucks and the troops had not realized the American Lindh was among them. The next morning, about 60 Afghan cavalry came thundering into the compound. In response to the September 11, 2001 attacks, the elite U.S. Special Forces unit, Operational Detachment-Alpha 595 (ODA 595 for short), was one of three teams of Special Forces soldiers sent into Afghanistan.

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