Synopses & Reviews
The Iraq War most of us know began on March 20, 2003, with the U.S.-led invasion. In fact, it began more than eight months earlieron July 10, 2002when eight Americans crossed the Harburr River from Turkey into Kurdistan. Carrying side arms and assault rifles, the CIA counterterrorist team soon linked up with Kurdish
peshmerga to commence their mission: strike and kill Al-Qaeda, and take down Saddam Husseins Baathist dictatorship.
They endured almost a year of being denied food, weapons, and ammunition by a NATO ally, Turkey, as they carried out a covert operation with profound consequences on the War on Terror, the Iraq War, and U.S. foreign policy: Operation Hotel California.
Drawing on exclusive interviews with the man who led the CIA team, Operation Hotel California tells the story of the dangerous mission that paved the way for the invasion of Iraq. In a riveting narrative, much of it in the words of the operations leaderpublicly identified here for the first time as Charles S. Sam” FaddisMike Tucker chronicles a staggering trail of corruption and incompetence by the Bush White House, from pursuing federal tax cuts rather than Al-Qaeda in spring 2001, to pandering to Turkey at the expense of Americas fight against Saddam and Islamic terrorists.
With compelling portrayals of the courageous men on Faddiss team and first-hand accounts of how Americas finest tracked and took down the Mukhabarat assassination squads Saddam had sent to kill them, Operation Hotel California captures fully the thrills and frustrations of hunting the nations most fanatical enemies. Andas the most blistering indictment to date by any American counterterrorism officer of the national security blunders vis-à-vis Iraq and Al-Qaedait carries lessons that will reverberate in Washington and beyond for years to come.
Review
"Among Warriors in Iraq is hard-boiled and absorbing.Mike Tucker
also has Hemingway's eye for description, particularly of warriors."
BOOKLIST.
In Hell Is Over: Voices of the Kurds after Saddam, Mike Tucker
tells a story we should know, but would not except for his bravery.”
Senator Bob Kerrey, member of 9/11 Commission.
Synopsis
On July 10, 2002, more than eight months before the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime, eight American CIA operatives slipped into northern Iraq. They endured almost a year of being denied vital supplies by a NATO ally, Turkey, as they pursued a covert operation with profound consequences for both the War on Terror and the Iraq War: Operation Hotel California.
Operation Hotel California tells the inside story of the dangerous mission that paved the way for the Iraq invasion—and delivers the most blistering indictment to date by any American counterterrorism officer of the Bush administration’s blunders vis-à-vis Iraq and al Qaeda. Drawing on exclusive interviews with Charles Faddis, the operation’s leader, and other team members, Operation Hotel California is a riveting work that will shake Washington to the core.
Synopsis
"Operation Hotel California" tells the inside story of the dangerous mission that paved the way for the Iraq invasion, and delivers the most blistering indictment to date by any American counterterrorism officer of the Bush administration's blunders.
Synopsis
The untold story of the CIA's secret mission inside Iraq to prepare for the invasion of Iraq--from the secret team leader who led the 2003 mission.
About the Author
Mike Tucker is a counterterrorism and guerrilla war specialist, poet, and Marine infantry
veteranand the author of eleven books. Among his works are Hell Is Over: Voices of the Kurds After Saddam (Lyons Press), a finalist for the 2005 Ben Franklin Award in History; Among Warriors in Iraq (Lyons Press); RONIN: A Marine Scout/Sniper Platoon in Iraq, named by the Salt Lake Tribune as one of the best nonfiction books since September 11; and six volumes of poetry. Formerly a visiting lecturer at West Point and the U.S. Naval Academy, and a visiting scholar on counterterrorism at James Madison University, he has led and witnessed counterterrorist raids in Spain, Burma, and Iraq; and has patrolled on deep reconnaissance with Karen guerrillas behind Burmese Army lines.