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“The Outpost” author Jake Tapper on researching his book on the 2009 attack on the American Combat Outpost Keating in Afghanistan and the soldiers...
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On the morning of October 3 200953.
Troops stationed -- combat outpost Keating.
Located at the bottom of three steep mountains and Afghanistan.
Were attacked by 400 Taliban insurgents.
Eight of our troops -- kill.
In his new book my next guest takes a deeper look at what happened there and at the heroic actions of our soldiers that morning joining us now ABC news senior White House correspondent Jake Tapper author of the New York Times best selling book.
The outpost and untold story.
Of American about great to have you it's nice to see area -- Hey you know I've gotta I gotta believe as a White House correspondent.
For ABC news at the last thing people are.
-- -- is going to be bringing us the story from Afghanistan.
I -- that's remarkable in and of itself.
What it was it was precisely because I was at the White House reporting on the war but doing so.
As we do in Washington from the comfort of the north long reporting on the fights between the Pentagon and the White House and debating troop.
Upsurge numbers 101040000.
That this became a project that.
I'm really became attached to because it was about more than what I was reporting -- You -- you focus on this particular battle -- -- -- -- Utah with more than 225.
Individuals with them for.
Threaten -- how long does that take.
-- we're -- for two and a half years and they ranged from.
Privates to generals to widows to a couple insurgents.
One -- for my interview by Skype.
It was it was a it was a big project that every time.
I thought I was done there were some -- -- to call that we need to talk to -- the need to talk that this guy -- -- -- exactly and I mean ultimately decide to stop because it wasn't there -- never gonna be a time when I talked everybody.
And and you were pursuing.
One of the toughest explanations and that is how those those -- Could be -- at that outposts.
And be the target of to be outnumbered.
So outrageous.
In and incapable of being protective.
It was this is how it started at -- I was in the hospital with my newborn son Jack and is that he was a day old and a quarter in my in the hospital room I saw the story about the attack on -- -- I'd never heard of combat outpost Keating -- coverage was all along the lines of why would anybody put an outpost there.
-- three steep mountains fourteen miles from the Pakistan border.
And it became a mystery that I needed to -- Y.
Why would we put our troops in such a vulnerable position but then it became something more it became.
What is it like to be so outnumbered in such a vulnerable position.
And the stories of these men and women.
This became remarkable and you know we cover the war.
But we don't really cover the war in the media as much as we should.
-- your show might be in and it and it and income exception to that -- but we don't covered in general as much as I think we -- and telling these stories became so important to me because.
First of all they are so inspiring all eight of the man who died that -- died.
Because they were doing their job they were trying to help a brother.
Provide him with a munition -- and go on a rescue mission to save guys pinned down in a humvee.
Returned fire against the Taliban all eight of them doing something brave and selfless.
And -- these stories they're tragic and one -- but they also became very to me personally inspirational.
Because.
These really are the best that we have to offer in this country and it's it's great that we have.
-- these fighting men and women and their families doing this for us even though we're so disconnected from them.
You do them radar with a book the outpost I'm pleased to say -- -- times bestselling.
Book.
By Jake Tapper the outpost we recommend it highly mobile on the web -- Which you can click on -- all of those -- things with vision.
Including complete a transaction.
Jake Tapper as I said earlier.
Ed Henry gave me permission to talk with you.
And I -- -- users what they get.
Where -- -- at a narrow friends -- out I used to do would a weekly comic strip for the Capitol Hill newspaper roll call.
And Ed was my editor.
This is in the late ninety's early two thousands and and now you're you're there at the White House competing shoulder beautiful it is -- those 2000 but it's fine and it's great to you know he I've known him forever and it was a great editor and he was funny.
He was funny guy and any tells realist and he tells -- That he's the greatest White House were plucked -- -- happened and certainly does Jake Tapper also you do pretty good yourself thanks for being here -- -- here.
All the best to -- but the group.
