The Triple Agent

14. the real target would be a decoy: This controversial story was described in detail by an official of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the main Pakistani Taliban alliance, and related separately by two other Taliban associates, suggesting that it is a widely shared story that was used to establish Balawi’s credibility. There is no independent corroboration of the event by the CIA or other U.S. sources.

15. “Every drone strike”: Quote related in interview with Taliban official close to Mehsud.

16. his every move was being recorded: Detailed description of the attack on Baitullah Mehsud provided in author interviews with three U.S. intelligence officials involved in the planning or oversight of the operation.

Chapter 8: Pressure

1. Taliban leader was “alive, safe and sound”: “Taliban Ask Gov’t to Prove Mehsud Death Rumors,” AFP/Reuters, in Nation online, Aug. 11, 2009, http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/11-Aug-2009/Taliban-ask-govt-to-prove-Mehsud-death.

2. his staff was caught up in the drafting of a proposal: Details of the CIA’s proposal for strengthening its campaign against al-Qaeda, and of the White House’s reaction to the plan, were provided in author interviews with two senior intelligence officials and one administration official involved either in the planning meetings or in the presentation.

3. helicopter gunships swept the Taliban’s valley: For a discussion of the Pakistani offensive in South Waziristan from its faltering start in June 2009 to its final phase in October, see Bill Roggio, “What Lies Ahead in Waziristan,” Long War Journal, Oct. 17, 2009, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/10/analysis_what_lies_a.php.

4. touched off several bloody rounds of: Wall Street Journal online, Aug. 10, 2009, http://online.wsj.com/​article/​SB124976257​139816985.html.

5. Shadow Army, a paramilitary force: Bill Roggio, “Al Qaeda’s Paramilitary ‘Shadow Army,’ ” Long War Journal, Feb. 9, 2009, http://www.longwar​journal.org/​archives​/2009/02/​al_qaedas_​paramilita.php.

6. technology had helped turn the tide against Iraq’s insurgents: Bob Woodward, “Why Did Violence Plummet? It Wasn’t Just the Surge,” Washington Post, Sept. 8, 2008, http://www.washingtonpost​.com/​wp-dyn/​content/article/2008​/09/07/​AR20080​90701847.html.

7. “We don’t know for a fact where Osama bin Laden is”: Defense Secretary Robert Gates interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC News’ This Week, Dec. 5, 2009, http://blogs​.abcnews​.com/george/​2009/12/​where-is-​bin-laden-​secretary-gates​-says-no-​intel-in​-years.html.

8. One of the most promising involved: Details of CIA discussions and activities during the six-year search for bin Laden’s courier were described in interviews with two current and two former intelligence officials with direct knowledge of the events.

9. The Taliban’s defeat had been engineered by a small group of CIA officers: For perhaps the most authoritative description of the CIA-led offensive, see Gary Berntsen, Jawbreaker: The Attack on bin Laden and al-Qaeda (New York: Crown Publishers, 2005).

10. “will have flies walking across their eyeballs”: Jane Mayer, The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War (New York: Anchor Books, 2009).

11. shut down for good: Mark Mazzetti, “C.I.A. Closes Unit Focused on Capture of bin Laden,” New York Times, July 4, 2006, http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/04/washington/04intel.html?_r=1.

12. She arrived in Kabul in August: Details of Hanson’s time in Afghanistan provided in author interviews with two agency colleagues and two family members.

Chapter 9: Chief

1. attempted to bury an IED: An account of the premature mine explosion is contained in International Security Assistance Force incident logs for Afghanistan’s eastern district for Sept. 19, 2009, and released publicly by the anti-secrecy Web site WikiLeaks in July 2010.

2. She would be safe at Khost: A detailed description of Matthews’s experiences and conversations during her early weeks at Khost was provided in author interviews with eight former agency colleagues as well as two relatives who were in frequent communication with her during the relevant periods.

3. “the only women in a sea of men”: A narrative of Matthews’s early years in the CIA was drawn from accounts provided in interviews with six agency colleagues who knew her professionally and socially during that period, with additional insights provided in interviews with family members.