In Butcher & Bolt, award-winning BBC journalist David Loyn examines 200 years of foreign intrusion into Afghanistan, from the very first British mission to more recent conflicts.
A century ago, the common story about how British soldiers treated Afghan tribesman was that they would ‘butcher’ them, then ‘bolt’. Taking its title from this brutal phrase, this book recounts many Afghanistan invasions, beginning with the first British mission, and covering clashes with the Russians and Americans in confronting detail.
Drawing upon the unique access he has had to Afghanistan over the past two decades, Loyn also assesses the emerging threat of the Pakistani Taliban and the continuing fighting in the south.