It's strange how quickly 12 Strong arrived in theaters, especially considering how rapidly Kabul was overtaken just three years later. The film’s connection to the conflict in Afghanistan feels tenuous, similar to how Lawrence of Arabia draws inspiration from a historical event but isn’t directly about it—which appears to be where director Nicolai Fuglsig and screenwriters Ted Tally and Peter Craig found their concept for General Dostum (Navid Negahban). They seem to have modeled him after George C. Scott's Patton, adding what the filmmakers consider a "Historical Hero Upgrade." The movie exists in its own self-contained world, mostly. It’s understood that films often bend reality, but 12 Strong goes beyond simple adjustments; it’s more like complete fabrication. The film claims to portray “one of the US military's most stunning achievements,” something Al Quaeda supposedly "considers ... to be their worst defeat.” Regarding that first claim... okay, fine. But concerning the second point, whether or not Al Quaeda would acknowledge such a significant loss is questionable; they likely wouldn’t admit it even if it were true. So, where did this information originate? We're also told that the actual General Dostum and Captain Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth) "remain close friends to this day"—suggesting it’s never too late to have an imaginary companion. This is especially odd since Mitch Nelson is a fictional character, albeit inspired by Green Beret commander Mark Nutsch, who I imagine probably didn't want his name attached to something of this quality.

Source on TMDB