Until June 2010, the Taliban had never known defeat in its historic homeland of Kandahar. But with the arrival of STRIKE Brigade of the storied 101st Airborne Division, this intractable enemy would be defeated in its historic stronghold and the tide of the Afghanistan War would be changed forever. In this remarkable firsthand account, STRIKE reveals the successes and sacrifices of this incredible unit as it conducted the largest combined operation of the war in Afghanistan. Army officer Stephen Hummel details how STRIKE cleared, held, and built its way toward victory against an entrenched insurgent force, successfully employing COIN principles against an enemy known for its resiliency and in a country known for its defiance. A must read for practitioners and non-practitioners alike, STRIKE illustrates why this unit succeeded where others failed and why it was awarded the Army’s highest unit honor-the Presidential Unit Citation-for the critical 11 months it spent fighting for Kandahar.