A member of the US Navy SEAL team that killed Osama bin Laden has written a firsthand account of the operation,triggering more questions about the possible public release of classified information involving the historic assault of the terror leaders compound in Pakistan. US military officials say they do not believe the book has been read or cleared by the Defence Department,which reviews publications by military members to make sure that no classified material is revealed. The book,titled No Easy Day and scheduled to be released on September 11,comes amid a heated debate over whether members of the military both active duty and retired should engage in political battles. I havent read the book and am unaware that anyone in the department has reviewed it, said Pentagon press secretary George Little. White House and CIA officials also said the book had not been reviewed by their agencies. The book announcement comes just as a group of retired special operations and CIA officers have launched a campaign accusing President Barack Obama of revealing classified details of the mission and turning the killing of bin Laden into a campaign centrepiece. Their public complaints also drew a rebuke from Gen. Martin Dempsey,chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,as well as other special operations forces,who called the partisan criticism unprofessional. The author of the forthcoming bin Laden book,who has left the military,is using the pseudonym Mark Owen. And in a news release from publisher Dutton,Owen describes the book as an effort to set the record straight about one of the most important missions in US military history. He said the book is about the guys and the sacrifices that the special operations forces make to do the job and is written in the hope that it will inspire young men to become SEALs.
