In October 2001, the United States began aerial bombing of Afghanistan in response to the terrorist group Al Queda’s attacks of September 11th.  Special Forces followed up by teaming with the Taliban’s opponents – the Northern Alliance – and by late November / early December 2001 the Taliban had been driven from power.  That didn’t mean the Taliban and Al Queda had gone away or given up.  They had moved and gone underground.  One of the places they went to was Afghanistan’s Shahikot Valley.  In March 2002, the U.S. conducted Operation Anaconda to root them out.  It was the first large scale ground operation of the war.  Sean Naylor tells the story of what happened in Not a Good Day to Die.