1. Dear Sir,
We would like to introduce our recently published books, namely, ‘Jungle
Warfare: An Ultimate Handbook’ and ‘Ultimate Handbook Of Urban
Warfare’, both by Dr. N. C. Asthana, IPS, Addl. DG. Dr. Asthana, one
of the rare intellectuals amongst serving officers, has the distinction of
having authored 24 highly-acclaimed reference books on matters related to
terrorism, internal security, insurgencies, counterinsurgency operations,
intelligence and defense, etc. His books have been reviewed and used as
standard references, and are cited in innumerous research works in some of
the top institutions of the world such as the US Army Command and
General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; National Defense
University, Washington; and Oklahoma Memorial Institute for the
Prevention of Terrorism.
In these book Dr. Asthana has presented the distilled essence of all that has
ever been written on the subject by the best armies of the world that have
fought both in jungle and urban areas including the US Army and the US
Marines; the British SAS; the North Vietnamese army; the Soviet/Chechen
army; and his own experience in Kashmir and the left-wing extremism
affected areas. Both books are authenticated by a formidable bibliography
of about 225 sources each.
Highly relevant in the present security scenario, the books are extremely
useful to officers and men engaged in counterinsurgency operations in
Kashmir, north-east and the LWE affected areas—both for academic as
well as practical knowledge and must be read by all of them.
Both books are priced at a highly reasonable Rs. 995/- each. Orders for
bulk purchase under the National Defence Fund may please be placed with
us directly.
Regards
Vivek Garg
Manas Publications
4402/5-A, Opp HDFC Bank,
Ansari Road, Darya Ganj, New Delhi - 110 002
Ph: 23265523, 23260783,
Mob: 09810043679
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2. Fax: 011-23272766
We have nearly 1.5 lakh troops including 86 battalions of the CPMFs
deployed for anti-naxal operations. Yet, last year they could kill only 199
naxals at the cost of 128 security forces personnel and 275 members of the
public killed at the hands of the naxals—hardly a reason to celebrate. The
insurgents in the hilly forests of the north-east have flummoxed the army
for nearly 68 years and we could not eliminate them. Obviously there is
some serious shortcoming somewhere. Had the troops been better trained in
the science of Jungle warfare, we could have certainly fared better.
Jungle warfare has hitherto received only anecdotal treatment with an eye
on the sensational. That’s how you get books which only highlight the
exploits of individual soldiers, leaders or elite forces like the British SAS.
They might be interesting stories but they do not, cannot deal with the
science of jungle warfare. Fighting in our own country, we do not have the
luxury of calling in the artillery and air support the moment the going gets
tough, or using drones. That’s why we must devise operations tactics,
technique and procedures that are tailored for our specific needs and
conditions.
In this book Dr. Asthana has presented the distilled essence of all that
has ever been written on the subject by the best armies of the world
that have fought in the jungles including the US Army and the US
Marines, the British SAS; and his own experience as the IG, COBRA
Battalions. It is the hitherto most comprehensive exposition of the
subject of jungle warfare anywhere in the world.
Urban encounters frequently prove very costly for the security forces. The
26/11 attack in Mumbai totally confounded us and we could do little to
prevent the slaughter of 166 persons (including 17 security forces
personnel) besides 293 in wounded. We had extensive collateral damage in
the Operation Blue Star even by the official estimates—83 security forces
personnel killed and 249 wounded for 493 civilians killed and 86 wounded.
The damage to the structures caused by artillery and tank fire is well-
known. In Kashmir also, most operations end by the security forces
blasting the whole house. All this has continued to add to the problem of
alienation. Obviously, we are unprepared for fighting unconventional wars
in urban environments as we do not have comprehensive doctrines on
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3. urban guerrilla warfare combat operations tactics, technique and
procedures.
In conventional warfare in an urban setting, tanks, field guns and aerial
bombs can be freely used to demolish buildings and fortifications offering
protection to the enemy. Things, however, become extremely difficult in
counterinsurgency or anti-terrorist operations because operations are
required to be conducted amidst innocent people living there and the
security forces cannot freely use heavy firepower for fear of causing
unacceptable collateral damage. Precisely for this reason, guerrilla
warfare or unconventional warfare in an urban setting becomes a very
attractive option to the terrorist and the insurgent.
In this book Dr. Asthana has presented the distilled essence of all that
has ever been written on the subject by the best armies of the world
that have fought in urban areas including the Israeli Defense Forces,
the US Army, the Soviets, the Russians, and his own experience as the
IG (Ops) CRPF Kashmir having commanded as many as 70 battalions
at a time. It is the hitherto most comprehensive exposition of the
subject of urban warfare anywhere in the world.
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