After the Al Qaeda attacks of September 11, 2001, America quickly toppled the Taliban regime that had sheltered the terrorist organization in Afghanistan. But, believing the war to be all but over, U. S. Central Command refused to commit the forces required to achieve total victory. Instead, the war's biggest battle--one that could have broken Al Qaeda and captured Osama bin Laden--was waged by a hodge-podge of units thrown together at the last moment. On March 2, 2002, America's first major battle of the 21st century began in the Shahikot Valley, where young, untested U. S. soldiers paid a bloody price for strategic, higher-level miscalculations. Journalist eyewitness Naylor describes how, denied the extra infantry, artillery, and attack helicopters with which they had trained, these troops nevertheless proved their worth in brutal combat and prevented an American military disaster. --From publisher description.