Following the Soviet invasion in 1979, the Mujahideen defenders of Afghanistan developed and reinforced many natural cave systems to use as supply bases and defensive positions. The Taliban and Al Qaeda further strengthened these positions in the 1990s. Following the events of September 11, 2001, these cave systems have once more come to prominence and sites such as Tora Bora and Zhawar Kili have featured in news headlines around the world. This title provides an analysis of these caves and underground systems, and discusses the U.S.-led Coalition's tactical approach to dislodging the enemy from these fortified positions.

Mir Bahmanyar served in the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment as a machine-gunner and training NCO. He holds a BA in History from University of California at Berkeley and an MA in War Studies from King's College London. Mir has previously worked as a military technical advisor, a German-language coach and as a producer and writer in Hollywood. He has written numerous books and articles on subjects ranging from ancient history to modern warfare, and his work has been translated into Spanish, Japanese, Polish and Arabic. Mir's special interests are the Punic Wars, Darby's Rangers and the future of war. He grew up on three continents, in four countries, and currently lives in Toronto, Canada.