First Casualty

Compressing two decades of relentless war in one closely reported, character driven narrative, THE FORT recreates the first battle of the 21st century as it was experienced by three Americans-two servicemen and one traitor On November 25, 2001, a beat up, dirt covered truck taxied David Tyson and Johnny Span, two CIA officers, through the narrow streets of Mazar-i-Sharif, a Taliban controlled city in Northern Afghanistan. The pair knew they were driving head first into danger, but they had little idea of where they were going or who might meeting them when they got there — and they certainly didn't know that they're actions would set off the first armed conflict in the global war against terror. The six day battle that followed not only marked the start of America's longest ongoing war, but also proved to be bellwether for the complicated, often misinterpreted and misunderstood, forces at play in the Middle East. Toby Harnden deftly brings to life the...