GRP 173-First Casualty: The Untold Story of the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11 With Toby Harnden

Joining me for this week's podcast is a veteran foreign correspondent and author of First Casualty: The Untold Story Of the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11 Toby Harnden. Harnden is a Royal Navy Veteran from the United Kingdom and has spent years covering wars in conflict zones worldwide. We discussed his journalism career, and he cut his teeth in Northern Ireland, covering the conflict there. He's also spent time in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The initial American response to the 9/11 attacks was a secret eight-man CIA squad called Team Alpha. Team Alpha rode into battle on horseback alongside the Afghan warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum. Mike Spann, an ex-Marine and member of Team Alpha, was the first American killed in combat in Afghanistan. We discussed his book in detail, including the role of Delta Force, The British Special Boat Service, and Army Green Berets in routing Al Queda during the early days of the war. Plus many more topics. Tune in.

         Main Takeaways

Early Naval career

Working with the Norweigan Navy

Covering the conflict in Northern Ireland

Imprisoned in Zimbabwe

Alpha Team

Mike Spann

This episode is sponsored by Ten Thousand, a men’s training brand.

Visit www.tenthousand.cc and enter code Global Recon for 15 % off

Connect with Toby Harnden 

www.tobyharnden.com

Connect With John Hendricks

www.globalrecon.net

www.instagram.com/igrecon 

Music provided by Caspian:

www.caspian.band

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