February 3, 2008

Kill Bin Laden...Someday

"Dalton Fury" wants to prove he and his warriers did everything possible to catch Bin Laden in Tora Bora, but the higher ups don't want this book published. What's the problem?
Former Delta officer’s book to shed light on Tora Bora
By Sean D. Naylor - Staff writer, Posted : Saturday Feb 2, 2008
The Delta Force officer who commanded U.S. ground forces hunting Osama bin Laden at Tora Bora in late 2001 will publish a book in October that he promises will explain how the al-Qaida leader managed to slip through the grasp of the United States.
But the author’s plans have put him on a collision course with U.S. Special Operations Command, which he says is threatening to take him to court for revealing classified information.
The author, who spoke on the condition his identity not be revealed, wrote the book under the pseudonym Dalton Fury. At the time of the hunt for bin Laden in the mountainous region of Tora Bora in eastern Afghanistan, Fury was a major commanding a Delta Force troop, and was placed in charge of an additional Delta troop (for a total of about 40 Delta operators) plus assorted other special operations elements at Tora Bora.
[...] “We all assumed at the time that bin Laden would be caught in a week, a month, a year, and [Tora Bora] would be a minor footnote. But it’s become [so symbolic] of major strategic failure… that I thought the operational positives and the tactical success that we had needed to be told … to the public.”
The book, which Fury has already written, is tentatively titled Kill bin Laden and will be published by St. Martin’s Press.
But Fury’s plans to publish the book have drawn the ire of Delta’s two higher headquarters – Joint Special Operations Command, which runs the United States’ most secret special operations missions, and U.S. Special Operations Command.
[...] “They came up with a list of redactions of items they thought ought to be taken out,” he said. “I told them I would honor every one of those. However, they were never ever given to me.”
[...] “All I got back was responses [reminding me of] my commitment to the classified information agreement that I signed … [and] basically threatening to possibly take me to court over this.”
[...] “We did receive a manuscript from [the author] for security review,” said SOCOM spokesman Army Col. Hans Bush. “The manuscript did not pass security review because it was found to contain classified information. […]
[...] He said his efforts have not gone unnoticed by the rank and file in Delta (the full name of which is 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment – Delta). While there are some in the unit who have expressed disagreement with decision to publish the book, many others have come out in favor, according to Fury.
“Now, the guys that are out who were at Tora Bora, to a man, have been 100 percent supportive.”
The author, who now works as a security consultant, has also established a Web site to promote the book: www.daltonfury.com.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/01/Army_Delta_book_080131w/

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I am the author of the soon to be released book - Kill Bin Laden: A Delta Force Commander's Account of the Hunt for the World's Most Wanted Man (St. Martin's Press, 2008). I am offering the general public a chance to win a free signed copy and ask me questions related to the story or the writer's/publisher's process. More info on the book can be found at www.daltonfury.com or http://swatdigest.com/archives/08July/KBLflyer.pdf.

You can view the June Questions at http://daltonfury.com/pagetwo.html

Below is the offer...

Have something to ask the author of Kill Bin Laden? Email me your question at daltonfury@yahoo.com and I'll compile the top 10 at the end of each month and post them to the book's website with my answers. I'll place your name inside one of the boots I wore in Tora Bora and once a month, from June through September, I'll randomly draw a name. The four winners will receive a signed copy of Kill Bin Laden addressed to whoever you'd like. As always, please watch your OPSEC.

Have a good one!
DF

I appreciate your time very much.