Author(s): Michael Golembesky

War/Military

Level Zero Heroes, the bestselling account of Marine Special Operations Team 8222 in Bala Murghab, Afghanistan, was just the beginning for these now battle hardened special operations warriors. The unforgiving Afghan winter has settled upon the 22 men of Marine spec ops team, call sign Dagger 22, in the remote and hostile river valley of Bala Murghab, Afghanistan. The Taliban fighters in the region would have liked nothing more than to once again go dormant and rest until the spring fighting season begins. No chance of that - this winter would be different. Along with coalition Afghan and NATO forces, the Marines of Dagger 22 continue their fight throughout the winter to shape the battlefield before the Afghan ground thaws. From one firefight to the next, the noose begins to tighten around the village of Daneh Pasab and the command cell operating there. On April 6, 2010, a force of U.S. Army Special Forces, Afghan Commandos, and Marine Corps special operations conduct a night assault to destroy the heavily entrenched Taliban force, breaking their grip on the valley and stopping the spring offensive before it even begins. But nothing ever goes easy for the operators of Dagger 22 and they would soon need to lean on each other once again in one of the most brutal environments on earth.