American_Spy_-_H._K._Roy

200 AMERICAN SPY

and vulnerable in a specific location. As soon as we got that word, I would

immediately alert my government contacts, and coalition forces could

move in for the capture/kill.

While we were anxiously standing by, news outlets in Bosnia reported that
around midnight on January 10, 2004, coalition forces raided and searched
Radovan Karadžić’s home near Pale, Bosnia. Karadžić was not there.
WTF?
A very pissed-off Jovan told me that a coalition spokesman held a press
conference after the raid to explain why the units moved in when they
did. The coalition representative also revealed some of the intelligence that
we had provided, including the key bit about Karadžić’s leg. Aside from
bungling the entire operation because they made their move before we
gave the green light, the coalition inexplicably revealed information to the
public (and to Karadžić) that could have only come from someone inside
Karadžić’s inner circle. It would be impossible to un-fuck this situation.
Shortly thereafter, Jovan heard that Karadžić conducted a frantic
mole search within his own ranks because of the leaked coalition informa-
tion, but thankfully he never identified our source as the spy. I also learned
from Jovan that during the noisy, telegraphed military raid on his house,
Karadžić stayed put for three full days at a nearby abandoned building
with a clear view of the main road leading to his house. Karadžić had
no food for those three days while he hid out in the cold, empty building,
waiting for the all clear. But he succeeded in avoiding capture. He returned
briefly to his home near Pale afterward, knowing troops would not raid it a
second time so soon after the first.
Needless to say, I was disappointed but hardly surprised coalition forces
had botched the operation. What did catch me off guard was the coalition
press conference in which they discussed the intelligence I had provided.
That was inexcusable. My US government contacts never did explain to
me why they jumped the gun or failed to follow my recommended plan.
Not that they owed me anything. But clearly, some coalition forces genius
had decided that he knew best and was probably promoted as a result, even
though he failed to apprehend Karadžić.