Book description
In December 2007, Stephen Grey, a Sunday Times reporter, was
under fire in Afghanistan as British and US forces struggled to
liberate the Taliban stronghold of Musa Qala. Taking shelter behind an
American armoured Humvee, Grey turned his head to witness scenes of
carnage. A car and a truck were riddled with gunfire. Their occupants,
including several children, had died. Taliban positions were pounded
by bullets and bombs dropped on their compounds. A day later, as the
operation continued, a mine exploded just yards from Grey, killing a
British soldier.
Who, he wondered in the days that followed, was responsible for the
bloodshed? And what purpose did it serve? A compelling story of one
military venture that lasted several days, Operation Snakebite
draws on Grey's exclusive interviews with everyone from private
soldiers to NATO commanders. The result is a thrilling and at times
horrifying story of a war which has gone largely unnoticed back home.
An exceptional piece of reportage
Stephen Grey is a 41-year old
journalist based in London UK, writing mainly about national security
issues. He is best known for his world-exclusive revelations on the
CIA's secret rendition program.
A former editor on the Sunday Times' investigations unit, the
Insight team, he has continued to contribute to the that newspaper, as
well to the New York Times, Guardian, Times,
Independent, New Statesman and Newsweek. He has
reported for Channel 4's Dispatches, BBC Newsnight, BBC Radio Four and
the World Service. His book on the CIA rendition program, Ghost
Plane, was published in 2006. He has been nominated for, and won,
several major press awards.
