Toby Harnden

Toby Harnden
Born	(1966-01-14) January 14, 1966 Portsmouth, England
Occupation(s)	Journalist, writer
Years active	1994–present
Known for	Orwell Prize for Books (2012), Washington bureau chief for The Sunday Times (2013–2018)
Notable work	First Casualty: The Untold Story of the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11; Dead Men Risen: The Welsh Guards and the Defining Story of Britain's War in Afghanistan; Bandit Country: The IRA & South Armagh

Toby Harnden (born 14 January 1966) is a British-American journalist and writer who received the Orwell Prize for Books in 2012. His work includes First Casualty: The Untold Story of the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11, released by Little, Brown in September 2021. Harnden dedicated almost 25 years to British journalism, mainly as a foreign correspondent. Between 2013 and 2018, he held the position of Washington bureau chief for The Sunday Times. Prior to that, he spent 17 years with The Daily Telegraph, working out of London, Belfast, Washington, Jerusalem, and Baghdad, finishing as US Editor from 2006 until 2011.

The book’s title pays tribute to CIA paramilitary officer Johnny Micheal Spann, a member of Team Alpha—the initial American operatives deployed behind enemy lines in Afghanistan following the events of 9/11. Harnden is also the author of Bandit Country: The IRA & South Armagh (1999) and Dead Men Risen: The Welsh Guards and the Defining Story of Britain's War in Afghanistan (2011). In 2013, he produced and reported the BBC Panorama Special Broken by Battle, which examined suicide and PTSD issues among British military personnel.

Background

Born in Portsmouth to architect Keith Anthony Harnden and Valerie Anne Steadman Harnden (née Dixon), he grew up in Marple and Rusholme, Manchester. His education included Harrytown Comprehensive School in Bredbury and St Bede's College, Manchester. In January 1985, Harnden entered Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, completing his training that same year. He pursued Modern History at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, graduating with a First Class degree in 1988 and earning both a College Prize and the Miles Clauson Prize. While at Oxford, he served as Junior Common Room President in 1987 and led the JCR Presidents' Committee.

Before embarking on a journalism career, Harnden was an officer in the Royal Navy, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant in 1994. His naval service included postings on assault ships , , minesweeper , destroyers and , as well as frigate . His last naval appointment was Flag Lieutenant to the Second Sea Lord at the Ministry of Defence. He became a naturalized American citizen in August 2009. Harnden is a father of two.

Books

Harnden has published three non-fiction titles: First Casualty: The Untold Story of the CIA's Secret Mission to Avenge 9/11 (2021); Dead Men Risen: The Welsh Guards and the Defining Story of Britain's War in Afghanistan (2011); and Bandit Country: The IRA & South Armagh (1999).

Released by Hodder & Stoughton in 1999, Bandit Country sold more than 100,000 copies and contributed to the establishment of the Smithwick Tribunal, which affirmed Garda involvement in collusion related to the 1989 killings of two senior RUC officers—claims originally made in the book. Following this, the Irish government issued an apology to the families affected. Analyst Ed Moloney endorsed Harnden’s conclusions, highlighting that the IRA had infiltrated Dundalk Garda station with an informant, supporting Harnden’s sources. In 2016, Abebooks ranked Bandit Country as the 14th most sought-after out-of-print English-language book. Novelist David Keenan included it among his top ten works on the Irish Troubles in 2019, commending its detailed portrayal of South Armagh’s conflict zone. BBC reporter Peter Taylor also recognized it as a leading Troubles book in 2002 for its fearless investigative journalism. In 2003, British officials reportedly attempted to use possession of Bandit Country as evidence against a suspected Irish republican dissident.

Published by Quercus Books in March 2011 after delays caused by Ministry of Defence (MOD) security concerns, Dead Men Risen initially received clearance following a four-month MOD review linked to Harnden’s access to the Welsh Guards. However, a legal challenge resulted in the MOD purchasing and destroying all 24,000 copies from the first print run at a cost of £151,450 to taxpayers. Despite these setbacks, the book garnered positive critical reception and reached number four on The Sunday Times bestseller list. In May 2012, it was awarded the Orwell Prize for books. The judges commended it for delivering an intense and authentic portrayal of soldiers’ experiences in Afghanistan that challenged prevailing public attitudes toward military service.

Main works

• First Casualty: The Untold Story of the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11, Little, Brown, New York, 2021.
• Dead Men Risen: The Welsh Guards and the Real Story of Britain's War in Afghanistan, Quercus, London, 2011.
• Bandit Country -The IRA and South Armagh, Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1999.

Journalism career

Harnden dedicated 24 years to British journalism, with 19 of those spent as a foreign correspondent stationed in Washington D.C., the Middle East, and London. Throughout his career, he conducted interviews with three U.S. presidents: George W. Bush (in 2000 and 2014), Bill Clinton (2006), and Jimmy Carter (2015).

His early roles included theatre criticism for The Scotsman and obituary writing for The Independent before joining The Daily Telegraph in 1994 as a domestic news reporter. By 1996, he was appointed Ireland Correspondent during a pivotal era marked by the IRA ceasefires, the Good Friday Agreement, and the 1998 Omagh bombing. Notably, Harnden declined to disclose his sources during Lord Saville's Bloody Sunday Tribunal, facing potential contempt of court charges that were ultimately dropped.

Between 1999 and 2003, Harnden served as Washington Bureau Chief for The Daily Telegraph, covering the period following the September 11 attacks. His experiences during this time fostered an increasing alignment with American viewpoints. In October 2003, he transitioned to Middle East Correspondent, operating out of Jerusalem and Baghdad while extensively reporting on the Iraq War. During November 2004, he was embedded with the US Army's Task Force 2-2 amid the battle of Fallujah, providing firsthand accounts from the front lines.

In 2005, Harnden joined The Sunday Telegraph as Chief Foreign Correspondent based in London. His assignments took him to conflict zones including Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Lebanon, Zimbabwe, and Pakistan. While reporting in Zimbabwe during parliamentary elections, he was detained for two weeks before being deported on charges related to journalistic accreditation.

Returning to Washington D.C. in 2006 for The Sunday Telegraph, Harnden was later appointed United States Editor of The Daily Telegraph within the same year. He extensively covered the 2008 U.S. primaries and general election as part of the Obama campaign press team.

In recognition of his work, Harnden was shortlisted for the UK's Press Gazette Digital Journalist of the Year award in 2008 and was ranked among leading UK media Twitter influencers in 2011. He departed from the Telegraph at the end of 2011 to join the Daily Mail. In January 2013, he became Washington Bureau Chief for The Sunday Times, holding this senior American correspondent role for nearly six years and reporting on significant events such as the Boston bombings, Ferguson unrest, the 2016 presidential election, and the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting.

On 3 August 2021, shortly before the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, Harnden authored an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal asserting that U.S. achievements in Afghanistan were largely due to a CIA-led strategy combining limited American military presence with local Afghan forces supported by air power. He cautioned against a complete U.S. withdrawal and recommended maintaining a residual force to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a terrorist sanctuary once more.

In September 2021, writing for The New York Times, Harnden emphasized that despite outward appearances, the Taliban had not undergone fundamental change and urged Western nations not to underestimate them. During escalating conflict, he also played a crucial role in facilitating the evacuation of his Afghan translator Rohullah Sadat.

External links

• Official website
• Blog by Toby Harnden
• Official site for Dead Men Risen