Panetta raps book by former SEAL on bin Laden hit

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Associated Press

Story Created: Tue Sep 11, 2012 6:29 AM

Story Updated: Tue Sep 11, 2012 6:29 AM

WASHINGTON (AP) - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is assailing publication of a book about the raid that killed terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, saying the account by a former Navy SEAL could jeopardize future U.S. operations.
   
In a CBS interview broadcast Tuesday, Panetta stops short of accusing the author of revealing classified information, but says Pentagon officials want to determine "what is classified and what isn't, and where those lines are."
   
Panetta says the book written under the pseudonym of Mark Owen raises troubling national security questions. He says, quote, "Well, I think when somebody talks about the particulars of how those operations are conducted, it tells our enemies, essentially, how we operate and what we do to go after them."
   
The author eventually was identified in various news accounts as Matt Bissonnette.

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