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Operation Dark Heart: Spycraft and Special Ops on the Frontlines of Afghanistan -- and The Path to Victory
Operation Dark Heart tells the story of what really went on―and what went wrong―in Afghanistan. Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer led a black-ops team on the forefront of the military efforts to block the Taliban's resurgence.
For a moment he saw us winning the war. Then the military brass got involved. He witnessed firsthand the tipping point, when what seemed like certain victory turned into failure.
This wasn't the first time he had seen bureaucracy stand in the way of national security. He had participated in Able Danger, the aborted intelligence operation that identified many of the future 9/11 terrorists but failed to pursue them. His attempt to reveal the truth to the 9/11 Commission would not go over well with the higher-ups.
Operation Dark Heart made headlines when the Department of Defense bought the entire unredacted first printing. The book's revised second printing includes redactions, which, according to The New York Times , "offer a rare glimpse behind the bureaucratic veil that clocks information the government considers too important for public airing." But most importantly, Operation Dark Heart remains a stirring indictment against military bureaucracy and a culture of cover-ups.
For a moment he saw us winning the war. Then the military brass got involved. He witnessed firsthand the tipping point, when what seemed like certain victory turned into failure.
This wasn't the first time he had seen bureaucracy stand in the way of national security. He had participated in Able Danger, the aborted intelligence operation that identified many of the future 9/11 terrorists but failed to pursue them. His attempt to reveal the truth to the 9/11 Commission would not go over well with the higher-ups.
Operation Dark Heart made headlines when the Department of Defense bought the entire unredacted first printing. The book's revised second printing includes redactions, which, according to The New York Times , "offer a rare glimpse behind the bureaucratic veil that clocks information the government considers too important for public airing." But most importantly, Operation Dark Heart remains a stirring indictment against military bureaucracy and a culture of cover-ups.
320 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2010
102 people are currently reading
1029 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Shaffer
3 books16 followersThis profile is for the American military officer. For the British playwright, see Anthony Shaffer.
Anthony Shaffer retired from the U.S. Army as a Lieutenant Colonel in July 2011, after more than 30 years of service. He is a 1986 graduate of Wright State University, where he was awarded a BA in Political Science and Environmental Studies. He is now a Senior Fellow with both the London Center for Policy Research and the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (CADS), and a consultant.
Anthony Shaffer retired from the U.S. Army as a Lieutenant Colonel in July 2011, after more than 30 years of service. He is a 1986 graduate of Wright State University, where he was awarded a BA in Political Science and Environmental Studies. He is now a Senior Fellow with both the London Center for Policy Research and the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (CADS), and a consultant.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
April 7, 2011
This is a deeply flawed book that doesn't know what it wants to be. There is some interesting sections, mostly about Able Danger, but there's a lot that doesn't need to be in there, especially the personal life info. If you're looking for an overview of the tactical situation in Afghanistan in 2004 that wasn't released until six years later, this might just be the book for you! Otherwise, there are far better books about Afghanistan. Highly recommend skipping the last section on how to win in Afghanistan, as it's a complete fantasy.
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September 26, 20109500 copies of this book were burned by the United States military. I guess I'm going to have to read it.
June 1, 2014
Lt.Col.Anthony Shaffer, Operation Dark Heart, Thomas Dunne Books, St.Martins Press NY, 2010, 289 pages.
The book follows Col Shaffer and his mission in fighting the Taliban. He is part of a secret Black Ops unit(they call themselves the Jedi Knights) and they are not bound by normal Govt.Regulations. They do well in their fight against the Taliban until the top brass get in their way, implementing totally flawed and ridiculous policies(things we see today). the Col and his team have no operating space like they did before and just watch the Taliban regrouping everyday, building up and getting stronger. This book reveals the type of corruption and incompetent behavior that goes on in our current Government. If your looking for fun and excitement, then this is not the book for you. If your looking for a taste of the real world and how everything really works behind closed doors, then this is definitely the book for you. There are some blotted out lines so it does not feel like you are reading a book. And sometimes they cover nearly two pages. This book has given me information about the corruption that goes on in our government and military. It made me feel more assure about the things I have heard in the past. This is a very serious book and you will not feel joy, but you will get new knowledge about how corruption from the high up, hurts our men and women in arms, and can even benefit our enemies. I recommend reading this book for knowledge, and real world insight.
The book follows Col Shaffer and his mission in fighting the Taliban. He is part of a secret Black Ops unit(they call themselves the Jedi Knights) and they are not bound by normal Govt.Regulations. They do well in their fight against the Taliban until the top brass get in their way, implementing totally flawed and ridiculous policies(things we see today). the Col and his team have no operating space like they did before and just watch the Taliban regrouping everyday, building up and getting stronger. This book reveals the type of corruption and incompetent behavior that goes on in our current Government. If your looking for fun and excitement, then this is not the book for you. If your looking for a taste of the real world and how everything really works behind closed doors, then this is definitely the book for you. There are some blotted out lines so it does not feel like you are reading a book. And sometimes they cover nearly two pages. This book has given me information about the corruption that goes on in our government and military. It made me feel more assure about the things I have heard in the past. This is a very serious book and you will not feel joy, but you will get new knowledge about how corruption from the high up, hurts our men and women in arms, and can even benefit our enemies. I recommend reading this book for knowledge, and real world insight.
March 3, 2019
I had to quit reading this book about one soldier's look at his life and what a great job he did to save - what ever. I just could not take any more of his "I'm the best thing here in Afghanistan" and you better do it my way or no way at all. I got to page 88 and that is all I could take of this guy.
October 23, 2010
Only a couple chapters in and have read enough to know NOT to recommend it to even my worst enemy. It's poorly written and does not flow well. Even if passages weren't blacked out, the flow wouldn't improve any. The author is full of himself. He just oozes pretentiousness and overestimates his importance in the events he attempts to describe.
It's a good book for reading in the bathroom, however. If you run out of TP, you can just rip pages out of the book and use them.
Addendum: Shaffer has a habit of commenting on the egos of some of the individuals he worked with in Afghanistan while ignoring his own arrogance and ego (as evidenced by his need to write a "f*ck and tell" memoir). He describes the fellow who followed him in Afghanistan as a "cowboy" who only wants to chase the bad guys. Pot. Kettle. Black.
I stand by my comment about the book's usefulness in the bathroom.
It's a good book for reading in the bathroom, however. If you run out of TP, you can just rip pages out of the book and use them.
Addendum: Shaffer has a habit of commenting on the egos of some of the individuals he worked with in Afghanistan while ignoring his own arrogance and ego (as evidenced by his need to write a "f*ck and tell" memoir). He describes the fellow who followed him in Afghanistan as a "cowboy" who only wants to chase the bad guys. Pot. Kettle. Black.
I stand by my comment about the book's usefulness in the bathroom.
May 29, 2013
The blacked out words, phrases, and paragraphs are frustrating to be certain. Particularly, since, as you get further and further into the book, you wonder if it was really necessary to censor certain areas of information. Shaffer was in intelligence himself, he would know what is DE-classified, and what isn't. As well as what he can and cannot say. I fully plan on getting the second edition to compare and see what has been done in regards to the blacked out sections.
That aside, I overall really enjoyed the book. It's nice to see events like this through the eyes of someone fighting over there. Some criticized the fact he has details of his personal life in the book mixed-in with his work in Afghanistan, to which I say, why in the world is that a problem? It's his MEMOIR, not a dis-connected history book. If you don't want a human element to your war stories, don't read this book. I seriously enjoyed it.
That aside, I overall really enjoyed the book. It's nice to see events like this through the eyes of someone fighting over there. Some criticized the fact he has details of his personal life in the book mixed-in with his work in Afghanistan, to which I say, why in the world is that a problem? It's his MEMOIR, not a dis-connected history book. If you don't want a human element to your war stories, don't read this book. I seriously enjoyed it.
June 7, 2018
An interesting read. Another example of good people trying to do the right thing and constantly being thwarted by corrupt and self-serving governmental bureaucracies.
October 3, 2010
I read War, then Horse Soldiers. War covers the now of Afghanistan by a world class writer. Horse Soldiers cover the Special Forces who first went to Afghanistan, fought in support of the Northern Alliance and essentially expelled the Taliban in two months with just 50 of our men. Op Dark Heart is the in between time when we restarted fighting the back again Taliban. It too is written by a participant....is not the best writing but is a real story that exposes the raw unpleasant story of how our Military actually operates in this war and it ain't pretty. Searching for an answer to how we can best bring this war to a conclusion, I am becoming convinced that we are not learning the lessons that brought us success. I have moved backwards to now read Bob Woodwards book on the 2007 Bush Administration efforts that resulted in the surge in Iraq to learn more about the background to our present strategy. These books together are helping me toward a conclusion. I recommend reading them all in the same order I did.
February 1, 2014
You can get past the redacted parts, though I agree at times it's tempting to imagine what was redacted and wonder why something that was probably innocuous was cut - did the publisher do it to improve sales or, more likely, did the government do it to try to discourage readers? You can be put off by the ego that shows all the way through, though there is lots of honesty showing, too, and you probably have to have a pretty strong self to do what he did and get where he got. What rates highest in my view is the insight into the way the war in Afghanistan is/was fought by the US and the strong likelihood that much of his criticism of various operations is pretty accurate. It is a stinging indictment of bureaucracy that does not work well, the way it works and why.
June 30, 2013
Lt Col Anthony Shaffer paints a maddening vision of fighting the both the Cold War and war on terror in his over 30 years of experience. By his own admission, he is no saint and the reader should take into account the controversy surrounding the publication of this book (which was heavily censored by the Pentagon). The finished product reads like a redacted document and although ultimately frustrating and incomplete, it is still worth your time, in gaining insight of how the art and science of intelligence collection, analysis, and dissemination is a tricky business.
September 30, 2014
Would have probably given 4* if I had read the un-redacted version. Unfortunate that DIA has such an axe to grind with the author. That fact in and of itself should make you want to read this. That doesn't even take into account a very concise and firsthand description of operation Able Danger, and how the US anticipated and could have prevented the 9/11 attacks if not for bureaucracy and political infighting. Struggle through the redaction; it's worth it.
June 16, 2012
Let's give the Colonel some slack here. I liked the book, full well knowing how governmental agencies work at different levels. I appreciate living in a country where truth still eventually can be told even when censored. If you want a rough idea how it works even in the dark you should read this book.
November 13, 2012
A decent read and is enlighting toward what was working and wasn't. However, the redactions were very distracting. If you are up and well read in Special Ops and Intelligence oeprations you can decipher some of them but for the most part entire half pages are blocked out. I do see value and agree with his recommendations for handling the war in Afghanistan in the wrap up chapter.
June 12, 2011
Interesting book about his experiences in Army intelligence and serving in the war in Afghanistan. I was surprised how the different branches of the armed services hoarded intelligence and distrusted the other branches of the military/CIA.
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June 26, 2013Tony Shaffer's riveting Afghan war memoir which the Pentagon bought and shredded in its first edition
February 17, 2025
So there's this maverick officer who talks the talk, walks the walk, kicks butt, and smokes stogies with this smokin' hawt sergeant... How could the DIA dump him and lose Afghanistan? Dunno, but considering that he consistently misspells place names there, I'd say his knowledge of the area might be a tad slimmer than he would make us believe (and the remark about "Minnie guns" makes me wonder about his military competence in general). Basically, a book for Steven Seagal fans, they'll get some fan service in these pages.
April 4, 2013
Shaffer describes in no uncertain terms the difficulties and challenges the US Government and US Military faces in working to stabalize Afghanistan and fight against al-Qaeda and the Taliban. These challenges are not only external but include the internal bureaucracy that often works to prevent the most effective individuals and most effective programs from succeeding due to turf wars, constant changes made to senior leadership, and unclear goals and objectives. This is a fascinating read into the world of HUMINT operations and how they help SpecOps forces to more effectively do their job. I especially like that Shaffer not only describes the problems but provides some solutions about how these problems can be addressed if we are serious about stability and success.
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August 4, 2011This story tells of the hunt for Bin Laden back a few years. Clearly these guys set the foundation for the successful operation that just took place. This is a lot of work done by unsung heroes. I hope he makes a killing on this book. Great story, easy to read and exciting!
April 24, 2015
Col. Anthony Shaffer's frontline analysis of his experiences in Afghanistan. Spycraft and black ops.
http://jaysanalysis.wordpress.com/201...
http://jaysanalysis.wordpress.com/201...
December 29, 2010
Unable to find first edition so i am reading the redacted version.
* great read. highly recommended for the professional.
* great read. highly recommended for the professional.
September 13, 2011
This was an interesting book but I would like to have read the original version though. It is a good look into what goes on behind the scenes and details the parts you never really hear about.
March 3, 2013
An interesting read into how the US went about ops in Afghanistan. I'd recommend this if the topic is of interest to you.
March 20, 2015
Its an awesome book.
June 16, 2018
Colonel Shaffer does a great job of relating his experience, primarily focused on his time in Afghanistan with the DIA. Most telling, is the example of arrogance, shortsightedness, and hubris inherent in high-level intelligence. This is just one more story by someone on the ground in theater who could clearly see the reality in the region; but, was hampered bureaucratic infighting and politics disconnected with reality.
The story Shaffer tells makes for a very interesting read (even if many details were redacted from the book, sometimes entire paragraphs). Aside from the war stories, the struggle between the two styles of management makes for an interesting read. Whereas Shaffer, and many like him, knew what it would take to get things done, they were often stifled by those above them who were overly-risk averse. There is also the unsaid suspicion of the underlying agendas controlling the agencies as a whole. The suppressing of efforts to truly defeat the Taliban and Al-Queada, as well as ruining any of their own who even pose a threat to their narrative. Shaffer himself was ran out of the agency when he tried to point out how they were stopped from pursuing some of the 9/11 hijackers a year prior to the events that day.
The story Shaffer tells makes for a very interesting read (even if many details were redacted from the book, sometimes entire paragraphs). Aside from the war stories, the struggle between the two styles of management makes for an interesting read. Whereas Shaffer, and many like him, knew what it would take to get things done, they were often stifled by those above them who were overly-risk averse. There is also the unsaid suspicion of the underlying agendas controlling the agencies as a whole. The suppressing of efforts to truly defeat the Taliban and Al-Queada, as well as ruining any of their own who even pose a threat to their narrative. Shaffer himself was ran out of the agency when he tried to point out how they were stopped from pursuing some of the 9/11 hijackers a year prior to the events that day.
November 17, 2022
I really tried with this book. I checked it out 3 times and would read a little more each time. However, I found that it wasn't really holding my interest very long and decided to give it up.
It's about some guy in the military and his experiences in Afghanistan. The author was not likable. He tried to play off like he was this really smart, humble guy just doing his job, but he came across as very arrogant and annoying. He had some interesting stories about his experiences there.
I didn't see a main point to his book and couldn't figure out what all the hype was about. As I looked into it, it seems there wasn't anything special about this guy or his writing. In fact, this book probably would have gone largely unnoticed until the CIA decided to start redacting all sorts of stuff from the book. Then people started caring more.
I found the redactions to be extremely disruptive to the story. In the end, I just got bored.
It's about some guy in the military and his experiences in Afghanistan. The author was not likable. He tried to play off like he was this really smart, humble guy just doing his job, but he came across as very arrogant and annoying. He had some interesting stories about his experiences there.
I didn't see a main point to his book and couldn't figure out what all the hype was about. As I looked into it, it seems there wasn't anything special about this guy or his writing. In fact, this book probably would have gone largely unnoticed until the CIA decided to start redacting all sorts of stuff from the book. Then people started caring more.
I found the redactions to be extremely disruptive to the story. In the end, I just got bored.
June 6, 2021
This book is a one dressed up as a five. I could not wait to finish it!
I feel rather badly as I like to give the "Special Ops" guys a higher rating because of their service and what they've endured, but I just couldn't do it for this one. Sorry, Tony.
It was badly written, to say the very least, with terrible grammar, poor English ["cue" for "queue".....really?], and the deal-breaker for me.....infinite split-infinitives.
I really didn't think it was possible to write a boring book about "Special Ops" and war, but this effort [or lack thereof] proves it is indeed, possible to do so.
The fact the book was heavily redacted didn't help matters but I'm sure the end review would have been the same even if all the text was present.
I feel rather badly as I like to give the "Special Ops" guys a higher rating because of their service and what they've endured, but I just couldn't do it for this one. Sorry, Tony.
It was badly written, to say the very least, with terrible grammar, poor English ["cue" for "queue".....really?], and the deal-breaker for me.....infinite split-infinitives.
I really didn't think it was possible to write a boring book about "Special Ops" and war, but this effort [or lack thereof] proves it is indeed, possible to do so.
The fact the book was heavily redacted didn't help matters but I'm sure the end review would have been the same even if all the text was present.
May 14, 2019
The book was so laid back in parts I wondered why he even wrote it and why I was reading it. He states that they had intelligence that could have prevented the 9/11 attacks 2 years prior to it happening...this has already been reported on.
Much of the book is redacted which seems like a ridiculous editting ploy, but ok.
This guy obviously has an agenda he’s trying to push, i.e. “his version of events”. I get why and I tend to believe some of it. Is the US government that corrupt? Probably. I’m surprise more if it wasn’t redacted...they couldn’t have been too worried about his accusations.
Much of the book is redacted which seems like a ridiculous editting ploy, but ok.
This guy obviously has an agenda he’s trying to push, i.e. “his version of events”. I get why and I tend to believe some of it. Is the US government that corrupt? Probably. I’m surprise more if it wasn’t redacted...they couldn’t have been too worried about his accusations.
January 30, 2018
I enjoyed the book. Finished it in about 3-4 hours on some plane flights. It gives his first hand account of running sensitive HUMINT operations in Afghanistan and a lot of the front line and behind the scenes beauracray that goes with it. The book was last-minute redacted by the DOD and the blacked out redactions were left in the final published version. It makes the read a little choppy in parts but overall doesn't detract from the story the author is trying to tell. Recommended for anyone interested in intelligence operations or current military history buffs.
September 12, 2023
A Good Truthful account of Personal experiences in Afghanistan
Shaffer weaves together the missing pieces in a tragedy that respective governments, including his own are culpable. The respective authorities should have been brave enough to allow the redacted pieces to be shown. I recommend his work to anyone paying attention to geopolitics and to all diplomats focusing on international relations. This work will now put the 9/11 report in its correct historical perspective..
Shaffer weaves together the missing pieces in a tragedy that respective governments, including his own are culpable. The respective authorities should have been brave enough to allow the redacted pieces to be shown. I recommend his work to anyone paying attention to geopolitics and to all diplomats focusing on international relations. This work will now put the 9/11 report in its correct historical perspective..
October 4, 2021
This was a very timely book to read due the recent events in Afghanistan. Good description about what was actually being done in the country by the military. The author definetly had an agenda, but still provides good facts.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews