US Department of Defence desperate to stop 'explosive' spy memoir from being published

London, Sept 11 (ANI): The US Department of Defence is reportedly negotiating with a major US publisher, St. Martin's Press, to buy and destroy all nine thousand copies of a book written by a former Defence Intelligence Agency officer, Anthony Shaffer, about his experiences in Afghanistan.

The book, 'Operation Dark Heart: Spycraft and Special Ops on the Frontlines of Afghanistan', was due to be released on 31 August. However, the publishers have said that the release date of Shaffer's memoir has been postponed till 24 September.

The DoD has claimed that while they were 'working closely and co-operatively with the publisher and author' it was premature to say what might happen, the BBC reports.

It is understood more than 9,000 copies have already been printed.

The Army Reserve, with whom Shaffer was a lieutenant colonel, apparently cleared the book for publication, but the DoD alleged that a proper security review was not done.

Shaffer has reportedly repeated his declaration in his book, first made in 2005, that US intelligence agencies had identified the leader of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Mohammed Atta, and three other suicide hijackers well in advance of September 11, 2001.

The material concerning the DoD reportedly includes names of US intelligence officers and details of National Security Agency eavesdropping activities. (ANI)