In the 1890s the British were holed up in Afghanistan in much the same situation as they are now, fighting the great-great-grandfathers of today's Taliban and tribal insurgents. Amongst them was the young Winston Churchill whose account of the campaign, The Story of the Malakand Field Force, was not only his first published work but is now required reading for military commanders on the ground, both British and American. Here, acclaimed foreign correspondent Con Coughlin tells the story of that campaign, a story of high adventure but one which contains many lessons and warnings for today. Combining historical narrative, interviews with contemporary key players and the journalist's eye for great colour and analysis Churchill and the Taliban is not only a dramatic and vivid piece of military history but it also enables us to understand a conflict that has now raged longer than the Second World War and taken more lives than the Falklands.