Countdown bin Laden: The Untold Story of the 247-Day Hunt to Bring the Mastermind of 9/11 to Justice (Chris Wallace’s Countdown Series)
Following Chris Wallace’s “riveting” (The New York Times) and “propulsive” (Time) first book Countdown 1945 comes a deeply reported, revelatory, and thrillingly told account of the final months of the hunt for Osama bin Laden.
On August 27, 2010, three CIA officers ask for a private meeting with CIA Director Leon Panetta. During that secret session, they tell Panetta that agents have tracked a courier with deep Al Qaeda ties to a three-story house at the end of a dead-end street in Abbottabad, Pakistan. But they say it’s more than a house—it’s a heavily protected fortress. No one in the meeting says the name bin Laden. They don’t have to. Everyone understands that finally, after nearly a decade, maybe, just maybe, they’ve found the world’s most wanted man.
In Countdown bin Laden, celebrated journalist and anchor of Fox News Sunday Chris Wallace delivers a thrilling new account of the final eight months of intelligence gathering, national security strategizing, and meticulous military planning that leads to the climactic mission when SEAL Team Six closes in on its target.
The book delivers new information collected from Wallace’s in-depth interviews with more than a dozen central figures, including Admiral William H. McRaven—leader of the operation in Pakistan—as well as CIA Director Panetta, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, and two members of SEAL Team Six who participate in the raid, including the special operator who kills Osama bin Laden. Wallace also brings to life the human elements of this story, talking to families who lost loved ones on 9/11, sharing what relatives of SEAL Team Six went through, and bringing us inside the tense Situation Room during the raid.
Published on the twentieth anniversary of 9/11, Countdown bin Laden is a historical thriller filled with intrigue, cinematic action, and fresh reporting about the race to apprehend and bring to justice the mastermind of the most consequential terrorist attack in American history.
In the gripping narrative of "Countdown bin Laden: The Untold Story of the 247-Day Hunt to Bring the Mastermind of 9/11 to Justice," renowned journalist Chris Wallace meticulously chronicles the extraordinary efforts of the U.S. intelligence community and military in their pursuit of Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the devastating 9/11 attacks.
This page-turning account transports readers to the heart of the CIA's Counterterrorism Center, where a team of dedicated analysts tirelessly pieced together fragments of intelligence, leading them closer to bin Laden's whereabouts. Wallace delves into the intricate geopolitical landscape, unveiling the complex diplomatic negotiations and high-stakes decisions that shaped the course of the hunt.
As the operation intensifies, Wallace provides unparalleled access to the inner workings of the White House Situation Room, where President Barack Obama and his national security team grappled with the gravity of the mission. Each meeting, debate, and strategic maneuver is vividly described, offering readers a firsthand perspective of the immense pressure and profound responsibility shouldered by those in power.
Through meticulously researched interviews and exclusive firsthand accounts from key figures involved in the operation, "Countdown bin Laden" unveils the remarkable courage, resilience, and sacrifice displayed by the men and women who risked their lives to bring justice to the victims of 9/11. Readers will witness the meticulous planning, the daring raids, and the heart-stopping moments of the final assault on bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
With his signature tenacity and journalistic expertise, Chris Wallace unravels the untold story behind one of the most significant manhunts in history. "Countdown bin Laden" is a gripping exploration of leadership, perseverance, and the unwavering commitment to justice that ultimately led to the demise of a notorious terrorist leader.
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