Team Alpha was an eclectic group of CIA linguists, tribal experts and paramilitary officers inserted into Afghanistan shortly after the September 11th attacks. Their mission was to work with tribal warlords in the fight against the Taliban. Linguist David Tyson was part of that team. He is fluent in Russian, Uzbek, Turkmen, Turkish and Farsi/Dari.
Much of David’s story is told in the book “First Casualty: The Untold Story of the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11” by Toby Harnden.
David shares insights about working with General Abdul Dostum and the Uzbeks, including adapting to riding horses. He says that despite his reputation, Dostum was “the perfect warlord for us. He shed blood on our behalf and was the first warlord to have his men killed on our behalf. Their hospitality was matched by their brutality.”
On November 25th, 2001, David and fellow Team Alpha member Mike Spann were interrogating prisoners at the Qala-i-Jangi prison near Mazar-i-Shariff in northern Afghanistan. They found themselves in the middle of an armed uprising by hundreds of Al Qaeda personnel who surrendered the previous day and had not been properly searched. David describes the chaotic firefight that ensued. It is estimated that David shot anywhere from 12 to 40 militants as he fought his way to a safer area of the compound. Mike Spann would become the first American to lose his life in Afghanistan and is the 79th star on the CIA Memorial Wall.
David and Mike Spann’s widow helped establish the Badger Six non-profit to support the approximately 35 families of the Afghans who fought along side Team Alpha and Green Beret ODA 595. Many are still waiting to be resettled to the US. The group is 100% volunteer, and all proceeds are dedicated to supporting the Afghan allies until they can be brought to safety.