The Introduction

A Special Forces book wouldn't be a Special Forces book without someone trying to prevent its publication; Task Force Dagger : The Hunt for Bin Laden (TFD) is no different. This is the book that the US Army Special Operations Command PSO Office tried to stop. Their efforts were too little too late though, thankfully - because this book is a very interesting read.

Task Force Dagger : The Hunt For Bin Laden documents the remarkable fight waged against The Taliban and al-Qaida, pitched in Afghanistan by small but determined groups of Special Forces from around the world. Even though there is the usual disclaimer about names and details being omitted or changed, there is a remarkable amount of detail in some sections of the book.

A word to the wise, when you are reading this book, pay careful attention to whenever the author mentions "Jack", as you'll have to draw your own conclusions at the end as to who, or what, Jack is, or was!

This review is based on the UK edition which contains additional material.

The Good

For anyone remotely interested in the Special Forces, or unconventional warfare, the contents of this book are not going to disappoint. Green Berets, SAS (all three regiments, and Australian), SBS, Delta Force, Danish, Norwegian and German Special Forces are all mentioned to varying degrees.

There are plenty of colour photos to break the 24 chapters up, and a very interesting After Action section, but more on that later.

TFD is authored by Robin Moore, who penned his Green Berets book over 30 years ago. Robin flew into Afghanistan right smack bang in the middle of the conflict, December 2001. This lends a gritty realism to the book, making some of the sections quite a harrowing read.

Half of the book's 24 chapters are a recounting of each of the main assaults against the Taliban and al-Qaida forces. Each of those 12 chapters details how small groups of Green Beret operatives were inserted, and worked with specific Northern Alliance commanders and their troops to bring down the terrorists throughout Afghanistan. For the most part this was achieved through laser guided bombing runs using the latest technology. The amount of detail revealed in some of these chapters is quite surprising, and makes for a very interesting read.

One Chapter later in the book recounts how the Special Forces started to close in on bin Laden, and actually reported that they had a green beret sniper with his sights on bin Laden, only to be told to stand down for proper authority to engage.

It's also in the later chapters that details of remarkable assaults on the infamous cave complexes by the 22nd SAS are detailed. Fans of Ghost Recon will immediately recall the opening caves mission in the original campaign which bears a remarkable similarity.

The infamous Prison uprising at Qala-i-Jhangi is covered in much detail, including details on the CIA casualties and John Walker Lindh.

The Bad

It's not until one of the later chapters that the growing record of successful encounters comes to an abrupt end, with the harrowing re-telling of Project Anaconda.

During this tale of disaster, the US lost more lives in one hellish 24 hour period than in any other single combat mission since Mogadishu, eight years earlier. This chapter in particular goes into quite alot of combat detail and is quite a harrowing read.

For the first time in the conflict the AQ had the upper hand, as it eventually took thousands of allied forces including air support and various Special Forces including Delta Force, SAS from the UK and Australia, Danish, Norwegian and German Special Forces to overcome what may have been less than 500 AQ.

This chapter in particular brings home the horror of war.

The Ugly

In the closing chapters Robin is especially critical of the treatment received by some families of those operatives KIA. This includes details of the shocking case of Green Beret J.D Davis, who, even though he was eventually awarded the Silver Star, was buried without a headstone; it took an act of congress to get this American hero a headstone. Other equally disturbing cases of the treatment some war widows underwent are revealed.

The SAS were well aware of the potential troubles that their families faced in the event of their demise serving their country. Brad Tinnion, killed trying to rescue Royal Irish Regiment soldiers in Sierra Leone, was survived by a baby girl and partner. The awful treatment and lack of respect his family received from the UK Ministry of Defence was such that the SAS commandos reportedly went "berserk". Prior to shipping out to Afghanistan the SAS secured written contracts detailing the care their families were to receive in the event of their death.

The Conclusion

Although TFD isn't quite the same page turner as another favourite read of mine - Killing Pablo Escobar by Mark Bowden, it is a fascinating and detailed account of special operations undertaken in direct response to Sept. 11th. Robin Moore isn't afraid to name and shame when it comes failings within the Special Ops hierarchy, and I imagine several senior officers being less than happy with some of Robin's criticisms and conclusions, as he pulls no punches.

It is not until the final third of the book that the focus switches to details of the actual search and destroy emphasis that the subtitle of the book alludes to. Even then, the author actually spends an equal amount of time on the subject of hunting down Saddam Hussein, which is actually an interesting read. So while I would not go so far as to say the book is well titled, it is a great read and packed with details of modern day unconventional Special Forces warfare.

I found the After Actions reports especially moving, and they are one of the reasons I suggest anybody with more than a passing interest in the Special Forces read this book. It's not every book that vividly describes an all action operation, then turns it's focus on the grim reality of the aftermath.

Postnote

I want to say a quick thank you the various serving members who proof read this book review for me.

The publishers of Task Force Dagger are donating a percentage of every sale to various Special Forces family aid funds. I am donating 100% of the commission that GhostRecon.net receives from Amazon for sales of this book to Special Forces funds.