Kill Bin Laden

by Dalton Fury

  Kill Bin Laden

  Dalton Fury

  The mission was to kill the most wanted man in the world-an operation of such magnitude that it couldn't be handled by just any military or intelligence force. The best America had to offer was needed. As such, the task was handed to roughly forty members of America's supersecret counterterrorist unit formerly known as 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta; more popularly, the elite and mysterious unit Delta Force.

  The American generals were flexible. A swatch of hair, a drop of blood, or simply a severed finger wrapped in plastic would be sufficient. Delta's orders were to go into harm's way and prove to the world bin Laden had been terminated.

  These Delta warriors had help: a dozen of the British Queen's elite commandos, another dozen or so Army Green Berets, and six intelligence operatives from the CIA who laid the groundwork by providing cash, guns, bullets, intelligence, and interrogation skills to this clandestine military force. Together, this team waged modern siege of epic proportions against bin Laden and his seemingly impenetrable cave sanctuary burrowed deep inside the Spin Ghar Mountain range in eastern Afghanistan.

  Over the years, since the battle ended, scores of news stories have surfaced offering tidbits of information about what actually happened in Tora Bora. Most of it is conjecture and speculation.

  This is the real story of the operation, the first eyewitness account of the Battle of Tora Bora, and the first book to detail just how close Delta Force came to capturing bin Laden, how close U.S. bombers and fighter aircraft came to killing him, and exactly why he slipped through our fingers. Lastly, this is an extremely rare inside look at the shadowy world of Delta Force and a detailed account of these warriors in battle.

  Dalton Fury

  Kill Bin Laden

  © 2008

  A DELTA FORCE COMMANDER’S ACCOUNT OF THE HUNT FOR THE WORLD’S MOST WANTED MAN

  The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government.

  Dedication

  Personally… to my wife and daughters who let me live the dream and whose undying spirit and love made it all worthwhile.

  Professionally… to the intelligence shop, the backroom boys, an eclectic band of truly indefatigable and dedicated experts in rationalism and empiricism. These men are hell-bent on unwrapping the delicate secrets of international terrorism and have my utmost respect.

  They include

  Randy B.

  Brian C.

  John C.

  Jerry D.

  Jimmy D.

  Jody F.

  Walt G.

  Eddie H.

  Tim H.

  Roger H.

  Danny M.

  Kelley P.

  Glenn P.

  Jamie R.

  John S.

  Dennis S.

  Shannon T.

  Foreword

  It’s about damn time. Finally, we can read, be inspired by, and follow the heroic actions of 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment (Delta Force) while they hunt down Usama bin Laden. Never before has the brave but ultimately doomed effort to find and kill Usama bin Laden been accurately written about. Dalton Fury is uniquely qualified to write this account because he is one of this great nation’s elite soldiers, a Delta Force operator, and he was there. This is only the third time a former member of SFOD-D has written about the world’s premier counterterrorism organization. However, this is the first time that actual combat operations have been detailed in such a compelling and honest manner.

  To become a member of Delta Force you first and foremost have to have a great military record-a proven record of excellence. You then have to go through a “selection course” designed to test your every fiber as a soldier. First, you go running through the woods with a sixty-pound bag and weapon on your butt for up to forty miles a day, every day for a month. This course reduces most men to tears of frustration and resignation. If you make it through this course and no more than three in one hundred do, you then have a six-month training course that turns a great soldier into a super one.

  Kill Bin Laden is a tribute to all soldiers and especially to the Delta Force operator. The author takes us inside Delta so that we can better appreciate and support those protecting and fighting for us in this war on terror.

  The brilliance of Kill Bin Laden is the manner in which the author shares the complexities of combat and shares the credit for successful operations with the entire organization. It is easy to forget when confronted with these “managers of violence”-these supremely talented and staggeringly brave “operators”-that without great intelligence, staff officers, and brilliant logistic operations nothing happens. That without competent and caring leaders, without the best noncommissioned officer corps in the known universe, none of the remarkable accomplishments celebrated in this book could have come to pass. Fury gives the full measure of credit where it rightfully belongs: to his men. It is one of the traits of a great leader.

  This spellbinding book is simple, and in that simplicity lies its brilliance. The author does not hide his love for his fellow soldiers, his admiration for their bravery and intellect, and his appreciation for their dedication to each other and to this great nation. It is Fury’s directness, his self-deprecating look at himself while taking the blame for the inevitable mistakes and his unflinching credit to his men during their many successes that rings so true in these pages; you are reading about serious combat from a serious combat leader. Fury is a great soldier and leader. He is also a passionate and articulate writer: Kill Bin Laden is worthy of all three parts of him.

  This book is so good, so topical, and so necessary that you need to stop reading this foreword and get to it.

  – Colonel David Hunt (U.S. Army, Ret.)

  Acknowledgments

  I found the tattered little green notebook while cleaning out a closet, and as I slowly leafed through the pages, I seemed to no longer be sitting safe in my home, comfortable at my kitchen table. Instead, the scribbles transported me back five years, back to the dirt and rocks of the high peaks of the Spin Ghar Mountains in Afghanistan, where I served as the Delta Force troop commander and senior ranking military officer at the Battle of Tora Bora. Our orders were to kill or capture the most wanted man in the world, Usama bin Laden, and bring back proof.

  For years, I had given sporadic and not-so-serious attention to piecing together a book about that important time. The story of the famous battle had been told and retold in newspapers, magazine articles, and books and broadcast on television, but most of what was revealed was in error. Some reports were little more than flights of fantasy that might as well have been about a military action on the far side of the moon. The record needed to be set straight, but for me to publish a book about the extraordinary and secret military operation would be difficult if it was based only upon the available public record.

  Then I came across my notebook, and the faded pencil and pen scribble marks brought it all back to life. Lacing the little pages are my handwritten notes of actual words spoken by bin Laden, along with hundreds of numbers and letters that identify people, locations, and quantities, as well as my real-time thoughts, guidance, orders, and ideas. Without such detail, this story could never have been much more than a broad and general description of the battle. These notes provided the path to take a reader right into the dark heart of Tora Bora, that forlorn and notoriously well-known mountain range forever etched in America’s psyche.

  By the summer of 2006, I had completed about 90 percent of the manuscript, but was still undecided about taking it public, for the desire to maintain secrecy is monumentally strong among Delta Force alumni. Then I received a telephone call from Dr. John Partin, the
top historian at the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) in Tampa, Florida, who asked if I would be interested in helping SOCOM write the classified historical narrative of what had happened at Tora Bora. History is only history if it’s accurate, and is usually best told through the first-person accounts of people who were there.

  As I mulled over that request, it became obvious that this story was going to be told, with or without me. The time had come. I made it clear that I would help SOCOM, but that there was a good chance I would also publish my own version some day. The historians at SOCOM had no problem with this and signed me up under their standard consulting agreement that required that I disclose no classified information, which I would never do anyway.

  So, with the formalities out of the way, I headed south and met a Green Beret officer who was moonlighting inside the SOCOM history office that had been tagged to re-create the official version of what happened at Tora Bora. He is now a lieutenant colonel and holding down a different job, but at the time, he was the SOCOM deputy historian. This officer is a very detail-oriented guy and a consummate fact-checker, question asker, and professional in every way. He worked diligently for months digging for every nugget of information he could find. We spent sixty hours together working on that official history, and I’m certain there isn’t another man alive who knows more details about what happened at Tora Bora than he.

  Throughout the months, his consistent stance was to tell the truth by presenting facts and honoring all participating organizations-not just Delta Force. To do so, he remained absolutely objective and gave every angle an honest look. His work is complete now and is one of the latest additions to SOCOM’s official, and of course secret, history. [1] My experience with this project served as the final bit of convincing I needed to bring my own unclassified story to the public.

  Years before the path ever led down to Tampa, the first person I had reached out to about this project was Sir Edward Artis of Knightsbridge International, a world-class humanitarian and disaster-relief organization. I’m deeply indebted to Ed, a Vietnam veteran, for his unyielding motivation, sound guidance, and no-strings-attached support over the years.

  Two true experts in the fields of terrorism and special operations forces, Peter Bergen and Hans Halberstadt, deserve credit for pushing this work from the “good idea” stage to reality. Their insight and guidance have been priceless and I am indebted to them for picking me up when I faltered along the way.

  Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mike Durant, my longtime friend and also a retired special operator, deserves a great deal of thanks as well. Twice a New York Times bestselling author, Mike was one of the first people I contacted for moral support and expert advice. As always, he came through in spades.

  My attorney, the remarkable Kevin Podlaski of Carson Boxberger LLP, a former special operations lawyer, skillfully undertook to navigate the muddy waters of the approval process with SOCOM-an approval that never came. Kevin’s calm voice of reason, his attention to the finest details, and a poker-faced patience, as part of a careful process of review with other knowledgeable advisors, reassured me that this book is free of any sensitive or classified information that might help any adversary of the United States of America.

  Another longtime special operations expert and successful author, Steve Hartov, also helped to guide me through the maze of telling an important story while still protecting secrets. I’m deeply indebted to Steve for his expert advice, persistent doses of motivation, and steady hand throughout the crazy business of book publishing. Without his extraordinary and delicate midwifery, this journey would have been aborted long ago.

  Many others helped this work come to life, and I consider them friends for life. A great number have chosen anonymity because of continuing affiliations with the world of special operations. They know who they are, and that I am tremendously grateful that they cared enough to help. As my good friend Hans Halberstadt says, book publishing is a team sport. But, all of that having been said, as the book’s author any errors or oversights, and the views and opinions expressed, are ultimately my responsibility and mine alone.

  Finally, I am greatly indebted to Scott Miller, my savvy agent from Trident Media Group, and his colleagues there, who believed in this book from the beginning and never wavered or flinched in bringing it to life. The terrific folks at St. Martin’s Press also earned my deepest respect, particularly my editor, Marc Resnick, and the head publicist, John Murphy, who combined to make this an enjoyable journey. Late-inning thanks also go to Jim Hornfischer and the very talented Donald A. Davis.

  Key Characters

  THE WAR LORDS

  Hazret Ali Pashai general of the Eastern Alliance Opposition Group and senior warlord employed by the CIA to hunt down Usama bin Laden. Former engineer with the Soviet-era mujahideen who helped carve the hundreds of caves in the Tora Bora Mountains.

  Haji Zaman Ghamshareek Pashtun leader of the Eastern Shura and slippery subordinate warlord to General Ali. Zaman was a former mujahideen commander during the Soviet-Afghan War and posed a serious threat to Ali’s power base in Nangarhar Province.

  THE CIA

  Gary Berntsen The chief of all Central Intelligence Agency assets inside Afghanistan. Berntsen aggressively pursued Usama bin Laden, and when the U.S. military initially refused to help confirm that bin Laden was in Tora Bora, he risked everything by sending his own team.

  George Gary Berntsen’s deputy chief. The leader of Team Jawbreaker Juliet, the CIA point group leading the hunt for bin Laden at Tora Bora. A champion in forcing General Ali to use American commandos in the Tora Bora Mountains.

  Lieutenant Colonel Al Special Forces officer assigned to the CIA’s Special Activities Division, a critical member of the CIA Jawbreaker Juliet team, and liaison to the 5th Special Forces A Team deployed to Tora Bora.

  Adam Khan An Afghan national who became an American citizen and a U.S. Marine. The CIA borrowed him from another government agency to support military special operations in Afghanistan.

  THE DELTA OFFICERS

  Lieutenant Colonel Jake Ashley Delta Force squadron commander of the team that participated in the Battle of Tora Bora. His requests for specific authority and assets to prosecute the battle were denied. Veteran of the Battle of the Black Sea in Mogadishu, Somalia, in October 1993.

  Lieutenant Colonel Gus Murdock Jake Ashley’s predecessor as the Delta squadron commander. Hand-picked by Maj. Gen. Dell Dailey to head a new subordinate unit inside Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) known as Advance Force Operations. Murdock also was a veteran of the Battle of the Black Sea in Mogadishu, Somalia, in October 1993.

  Lieutenant Colonel Mark Sutter Subordinate officer to Gus Murdock and commander of the Northern Advance Force Operations. He took the enormous risk of committing three of his men to Gary Berntsen’s joint CIA and JSOC team to move into the Tora Bora Mountains and confirm or deny bin Laden’s presence.

  Dalton Fury Code-named Redfly, the assault troop commander given command of all American and British military forces during the battle.

  THE BOYS OF DELTA FORCE

  Sergeant Major Bryan Code-named B-Monkey, the reconnaissance troop sergeant major who led the second Mission Support Site to enter the battlefield at Tora Bora.

  Sergeant Major Ironhead Squadron sergeant major and senior Delta noncommissioned officer operator in the battle. Personally led resupply missions deep behind enemy lines.

  Sergeant Major Jim Code-named Grinch, the assault troop sergeant major who led the first Mission Support Site to enter the battlefield.

  Admiral U.S. Air Force combat controller habitually attached to Delta Force. He was ordered to participate in the mujahideen’s daylight assault on al Qaeda’s prepared positions. Abandoned during the fighting and forced to escape and evade back to friendly forces.

  Catfish Assault team leader present at the Battle of Tora Bora.

  Crapshoot Assault team leader present at Tora Bora and also at the capture of al Qaeda facilitator Gul Ahmed a year la
ter.

  Dugan Muscular sniper sent to the battlefield within hours after arriving at the schoolhouse.

  Hopper Recce team leader who volunteered to participate in the mujahideen daylight assault on al Qaeda’s prepared positions. Abandoned during the fighting and forced to escape and evade back to friendly forces.

  Jester Encyclopedic-minded sniper sent to the battlefield within hours after arriving at the schoolhouse.

  Pope Recce team leader who chased retreating al Qaeda fighters straight up the middle of their prepared positions.

  Scrawny Sniper and member of Jackal team during the Battle of Tora Bora. Classmate of Dalton Fury during Ranger Course 10-84. Participated in the capture of al Qaeda facilitator Gul Ahmed.

  Shrek Sniper sent to conduct a “singleton” reconnaissance of Gul Ahmed’s village and participant in the Battle of Tora Bora.

  Ski Recce team leader present at Tora Bora and also at the Gul Ahmed capture.

  Stormin’ Also known as “the Bod.” Delta assault team leader at Tora Bora and at the capture of Gul Ahmed a year later.

  Preface

  In February 2002, just six weeks after returning from a rewarding but frustrating combat tour in Afghanistan, my mates and I in Delta had refitted, reblued, and recocked and were anxiously awaiting our next mission in America’s war on terror. While also juggling the responsibilities of being husbands and fathers, we anticipated the proverbial “word” and speculated about our future, whether orders might send us to Yemen, Iran, Lebanon, Somalia, or any of a dozen other countries infested with Islamic fanatics.