First Casualty

An award-winning journalist recounts the gripping true story of CIA's Team Alpha, the first Americans deployed behind enemy lines in Afghanistan after 9/11, highlighting their covert efforts to track down Al-Qaeda and Taliban remnants. Drawing on extensive interviews, documents, and deep research, the narrative explores their daring missions, sacrifices, and early victories, while also revealing how crucial lessons from this initial phase were ultimately overlooked, shaping two decades of conflict. The book offers an intimate, strategic look at a pivotal moment in America's war effort.