It was bitter cold. The harsh wind swept across their high mountain redoubt with only thin native blankets to shelter them from the bitter Afghan air. They were hours from resupply, carrying only what they could on their backs.
And that’s just how they wanted it.
Peering through their high-tech spotting scopes and talking in low whispers to pilots above, the Delta Force operators high in the mountains of Tora Bora were warmed by the thought that they, more than anyone else in that desolate land, were killing more perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks than anyone else in the world.
For nearly a week, 40 of America’s best trained, most elite Soldiers from the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment Delta, or “Delta Force,” combed the 14,000 foot peaks with wavering Afghan militia allies to hunt down the world’s most wanted man: Osama bin Laden. In a first ever account, the man who shepherded those bearded warriors into Tora Bora’s thin mountain air writes of the near misses, frustrated plans and weak-kneed guerrillas that stymied their quest for al Qaeda’s top commanders.
Writing under the name “Dalton Fury,” the Delta Force commander — a major at the time — gives a detailed look in “Kill bin Laden: A Delta Commander’s Account of the Hunt for the World’s Most Wanted Man” how the unit prepared for, planned and executed its complicated mission.
For Delta, it was an unprecedented task. A force best know for lightning-fast counterterrorism raids, long range reconnaissance and high value target snatches, the operators on the Tora Bora mission had to work a hybrid plan that combined unconventional warfare, intelligence collection, long-range logistics and close air support — all while waiting for the call to swoop down on an Osama hideout at a moment’s notice.
“We went into a hellish land that was considered impregnable and controlled by al Qaeda leaders who had helped defeat the Soviet Union,” Fury writes. “We killed them by the dozen. Many more surrendered. … And we heard the demoralized — bin Laden speak on the radio, pleading for women and children to fight for him.”
“Then he abandoned them all and ran from the battlefield,” Fury adds with some satisfaction. “Yes. He ran away.“
(Though Defense Tech knows Fury’s true name, we will honor his wishes and not reveal it here and I have updated my previous post with the redaction.)
As Fury tells it, his Delta colleagues racked up an impressive body count and thought for a while they had actually killed the al Qaeda leader or his deputy. But a reader can clearly see between the lines of “Kill bin Laden” that Fury was frustrated with his unit’s lack of success in killing their key target. While dropping JDAMs on terrorist caves was gratifying, Fury never mentions a single shot fired by his operators in the entire early December 2001 engagement — cold comfort to some of the best combat marksmen in the world who were itching for an up-close fight.
Fury is also disappointed by his commanders’ reluctance to engage his operators more into the fight, mandating the reliance on Afghan militias to do most of the heavy lifting. His unit proposed two plans to corner bin Laden. One involved a backdoor, high-altitude mountaineering assault from the Pakistan border, the other called for sowing GATOR anti-personnel mines along the most likely approaches and escape routes to stymie an al Qaeda escape long enough for a commando assault.
Both plans were rejected by higher headquarters — or the White House — and Fury was left to the worst possible alternative: a frontal assault.
“Kill bin Laden” is one of the most detailed and informative descriptions of a battle forgotten by most Americans, but one that was truly the closest the West gotten to bin Laden since 9/11. It’s not the “tell all” of Eric Haney’s “Inside Delta Force” but compares well with Gary Bernsten’s “Jawbreaker” in it’s revelation of black ops.
And that’s where Fury has bumped into the most controversy. Some in the Army Special Force community have rejected Fury for his breach of Delta’s code of silence — a written and un-written rule among operators that one never speaks to outsiders of their endeavors. Credible online forums have already revealed Fury’s true name, ignoring his pleas for anonymity for fear of endangering his family.
Fury declined several requests for an interview with Defense Tech to discuss this issue and details of his book.
Revealing his missions and opening Delta to the world in even this small way has earned “Kill bin Laden” scorn from portions of the special operations community. But Fury’s critics never dispute his facts.
So give “Kill bin Laden” a read; the author did the American public a service by explaining to the victims of 9/11 how America tried to kill the mastermind behind that horrifying day, and it could serve to remind us all that “enemy number one” is still out there — and so is Delta, hunting him to the ends of the Earth.
– Christian
Dalton Fury = Thomas Greer
Task Force Green was always held in awe during my time with the Ranger Regiment.
I for one never doubted their courage or commitment to the hunt for UBL.
And I do love good operational accounts. I plan on buying this book on amazon tonight.
The real question is why US intelligence ignored a Pakistani tribal leader who knew where bin Laden was. Arnaud de Borchgrave is a rock-solid source, too.
http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/10/16/141941.shtml
I’ve read this book, and first up, I have to say it lacks the immediate, visceral thrill of stories like Marcus Luttrell’s Lone Survivor. But I came away even more in awe (and fear) of the Delta operators. In the days and weeks after finishing the book, I have wondered constantly what it is about these men that makes them so incredibly disciplined and so far beyond most of us in their mental and physical fortitude.
However, I really can’t understand why the author is now considered persona non grata by the Delta community. I don’t think he revealed anything that would compromise the specops teams, and sometimes its inspirational to read about real people doing extraordinary things. I hope the Delta guys forgive him because it must be incredibly painful to become an outcast from such a tight group of people who have experienced so much together.
One fascinating tidbit in the book was the 2nd hand account (more of a rumour) of a small helicopter that landed near the Al Qaeda stronghold, with the implication being that Pakistani government or military supporters flew bin Laden to safety. Given the fact that an ISI (Pakistani Intelligence Services) operative was discovered to be spying on the teams, it is clear that there were many forces at work attempting to undermine and sabotage the American operations in Afganistan.
Bad Intel, politics, Inside Mole (not in Team but elsewhere).
Darn & damn.
Or else Osama would be dead by now.
(I say carpet bomb the whole mtn region).
& use cruise missiles.
Have B52s use earthquake bombs en masse.
That should flush Osama out.
There are so many rumors about Osama Bin Laden. The theory I’ve heard is that he is already dead,reportedly killed by the Taliban leader. Are we really sure that there was a “living” Osama Bin Laden to chase after in Tora Bora? I mean,he is the convenient “straw man” right now. I’d believe that Zawahiri is alive more than I believe that Bin Laden is. I believe that Delta Force was doing their best in Afghanstan & killing foreign fighters,but I believe Bin Laden was already dead,contrary to the “radio reports.” I’m also not alone in believing Bin Laden is dead.
“(Though Defense Tech knows Fury’s true name, we will honor his wishes and not reveal it here and I have updated my previous post with the redaction.)“
This is beyond silly. First of all, Mr. Fury’s real name is available to anyone who knows how to Google. Second, it’s not even been completely removed from the comments to your earlier post. “Redaction” doesn’t mean much on the internet, chum. If you thought there was good reason to print his name before, why not just fess up to the error or stick by the original decision? This “we know but we’re not telling (anymore)” is just melodrama.
Was thinking of picking up this book as well as “The Mission, The Men, and Me: Lessons from a Former Delta Force Commander” by Pete Blaber. Anyone know is this book is any good?
So whatever happened to the attempt to get bin Laden? Didn’t that used to be really important? It seems to have been quietly dropped somewhere on the way. if Delta are still chasing him, they’re not doing a very good job.
btw, do we have any evidence for the accuracy of the account by “Fury” — just Google if you want to know his real name — or is this just another self-serving account that’s going to be ripped to shreds later?
Now now this is funny — the British SAS , a few years abck claimed to have had bin laden under there own sights — and were ordered to stand down and wait for a US team; well we all know what happened and how he got away;
some how i doubt that episode — of how the british found him would be in any US forces book.
Yep the SAS and SBS had Bin Laden in their sights and when Blair called Bush he demanded that Delta Force take over . By the time they arrived Bin Laden was gone over the hills !
Oh yeah and don‘t forget Clinton not taking the chance to kill bin laden when he was given the option !
Idiots !
There seems to be a lot of sympathy for Thomas Greer over writing this book. There is a reason why he is PNG. He broke a sacred vow he made not only to the army but also to his former co-workers. You can try to sugar coat what he’s done all you want, but from the men still in the trenches he has done an un-forgivable thing.
I’m sure he initially wrote the book in alias IOT protect himself and his family. But, because of him certain members of the military (and their family) now have a large bulls-eye painted on their backs. It’s common knowledge that when the cartels discovered that certain members of the military parpicitated in the killing of Pablo, they and their families where targeted for murder. Know, with the release of this book fanatics and hostile inteligence services have a place to focus their attention.
It’s pathetic that certain members of the military have to now remove another picture from their walls. If for nothing, just so they don’t have to suffer the embarresment everytime they see his face. I have it on good athourity that the only people who agree with the release of this book are the guys who were with him that winter. I guess they feel some sort of personal embaressment over UBL escaping. A true professional would take the lick to his ego and continue to drive on. From this side he just seems like a whiner who wants to blame “higher HQ’s”. The mark of a true team player is someone who takes the blame along with the rest of the team. Guess what this book will do for the relationship between certain members of the military and their HQ.
I know someone who won’t be getting an invitaion to a black-tied affair this year.
CQCR
You should be ashamed of yourself Mr.Greer .
What have you gained from this other than a larger back account .
Good morning. For me, it’s that I contributed, . That I’m on this planet doing some good and making people happy. That’s to me the most important thing, that my hour of television is positive and upbeat and an antidote for all the negative stuff going on in life. Help me! Can not find sites on the: Shop kids and baby furniture and bedding at pottery barn kids.. I found only this — turbo tax. Baby bedding sets — beautiful crib sets with free shipping. Banana fish crib sets on sale! Best range of designs in many colours, which your may. Thanks for the help
, Danna from Madagascar.