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The Finish: The Killing of Osama bin Laden
From Mark Bowden, the preeminent chronicler of our military and special forces, comes The Finish , a gripping account of the hunt for Osama bin Laden. With access to key sources, Bowden takes us inside the rooms where decisions were made and on the ground where the action unfolded.
After masterminding the attacks of September 11, 2001, Osama bin Laden managed to vanish. Over the next ten years, as Bowden shows, America found that its war with al Qaeda—a scattered group of individuals who were almost impossible to track—demanded an innovative approach. Step by step, Bowden describes the development of a new tactical strategy to fight this war—the fusion of intel from various agencies and on-the-ground special ops. After thousands of special forces missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, the right weapon to go after bin Laden had finally evolved. By Spring 2011, intelligence pointed to a compound in Abbottabad; it was estimated that there was a 50/50 chance that Osama was there. Bowden shows how three strategies were a drone strike, a precision bombing, or an assault by Navy SEALs. In the end, the President had to make the final decision. It was time for the finish.
After masterminding the attacks of September 11, 2001, Osama bin Laden managed to vanish. Over the next ten years, as Bowden shows, America found that its war with al Qaeda—a scattered group of individuals who were almost impossible to track—demanded an innovative approach. Step by step, Bowden describes the development of a new tactical strategy to fight this war—the fusion of intel from various agencies and on-the-ground special ops. After thousands of special forces missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, the right weapon to go after bin Laden had finally evolved. By Spring 2011, intelligence pointed to a compound in Abbottabad; it was estimated that there was a 50/50 chance that Osama was there. Bowden shows how three strategies were a drone strike, a precision bombing, or an assault by Navy SEALs. In the end, the President had to make the final decision. It was time for the finish.
288 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2012
311 people are currently reading
3136 people want to read
About the author
Mark Bowden
65 books1,797 followersMark Bowden is an American journalist and writer. He is a former national correspondent and longtime contributor to The Atlantic. Bowden is best known for his book Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War (1999) about the 1993 U.S. military raid in Mogadishu, which was later adapted into a motion picture of the same name that received two Academy Awards.
Bowden is also known for the books Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World's Greatest Outlaw (2001), about the efforts to take down Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, and Hue 1968, an account of the Battle of Huế.
Bowden is also known for the books Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World's Greatest Outlaw (2001), about the efforts to take down Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, and Hue 1968, an account of the Battle of Huế.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 342 reviews
January 1, 2013
On September 10, 2001, I was on an American Airlines flight to Puerto Rico for work. Flying home several days later was a vastly different experience from the plane ride there. I had a bunch of paperbacks I’d bought for the trip, and I finished one and got another one out of my bag. It was Mark Bowden’s Black Hawk Down. I didn’t much feel like reading about the deaths of American soldiers at that moment so I picked another one and only read that book months later. So there was a certain grim satisfaction and symmetry for me in reading Bowden’s account of the death of Osama Bin Laden.
Those who read Black Hawk Down and expecting a blow by blow account of the manhunt and the military operation are probably going to be disappointed because the classified nature of it only gives Bowden enough material for summaries that aren’t much deeper then the media accounts. Instead, Bowden focuses on how a decade of war had honed the US’s tactics to find and target al Qaeda’s leadership, and how President Obama came to the decision to use those abilities.
Bowden lays out how the US military and intelligence agencies had developed hardware like drones to gather data and then linked that sophisticated databases that make it seem like The Machine in the TV show Person of Interest isn’t that far fetched. Bowden credits this evolving system with the eventual decrease in insurgency attacks in Iraq as well as being a key tool that has severely hurt al Qaeda.
Perhaps what will surprise most readers is how willing President Obama has been to use these methods. Anyone who thinks that he’s some kind egghead liberal peacenik should probably reevaluate that stance because he’s personally authorized the use of this system to target and kill al Qaeda’s leadership at a rate four times that of President Bush. One gets the distinct impression that you don't want Obama deciding that you're a clear and present danger to the United States.
The story of how this process developed is interesting and fairly scary. (After reading Kill Decision and this, I’m worried that the evil robot apocalypse will soon be upon us.) Bowden does a nice job of laying out how the changing US tactics and increases in the use of highly experienced special forces groups like SEAL Team Six contributed to the decision to risk going into Pakistan after bin Laden when the intelligence that he was actually there was not certain.
However, while this story is intriguing, it also feels a bit like filler because Bowden didn’t have enough declassified material about the manhunt and final raid to fill out an entire book. There’s a telling lapse in which the courier who was the final link to bin Laden is discovered. Bowden describes how that courier’s alias had come up several times in various interrogations over the years, but he doesn’t know how the US ultimately tracked him down. Bowden notes that one analyst told him that story would make a book in itself so it’s frustrating to be left hanging. Plus, it seems entirely possible that bin Laden was actually discovered by someone ratting him out for the $25 million reward and that this talk of tracking the courier is a story to cover for whoever dropped a dime on him.
The story of the attack itself as Obama and several of his key advisors watched in real time via drone cameras is a vivid account, but again, there’s nothing there that hasn’t been reported already. Plus, since SEAL Team Six couldn't be identified or interviewed, Bowden has to stick with bland descriptions instead of sketching out some background to give us an idea of who they are or what they were thinking during the attack.*
*My library copy of the book included a loose card with a note from Bowden noting that a member of the SEAL team released a different account of bin Laden’s final moments after his book went to press, and that he’ll research and note it in later editions.
There’s some fascinating stuff here like how the US has adapted its methods over the course of the war on terror, and there’s a very nice account of how the plan came together as well as how President Obama arrived at the decision to risk the raid. We also get some insight into how bin Laden spent his last years isolated in hiding and increasingly seeming like Hitler in the bunker ordering phantom armies into battle. Still, this feels like a good magazine feature article that’s had a fair amount of filler added to pad it out since there weren’t enough classified details released yet to make it a thorough and definitive telling of the death of bin Laden.
Those who read Black Hawk Down and expecting a blow by blow account of the manhunt and the military operation are probably going to be disappointed because the classified nature of it only gives Bowden enough material for summaries that aren’t much deeper then the media accounts. Instead, Bowden focuses on how a decade of war had honed the US’s tactics to find and target al Qaeda’s leadership, and how President Obama came to the decision to use those abilities.
Bowden lays out how the US military and intelligence agencies had developed hardware like drones to gather data and then linked that sophisticated databases that make it seem like The Machine in the TV show Person of Interest isn’t that far fetched. Bowden credits this evolving system with the eventual decrease in insurgency attacks in Iraq as well as being a key tool that has severely hurt al Qaeda.
Perhaps what will surprise most readers is how willing President Obama has been to use these methods. Anyone who thinks that he’s some kind egghead liberal peacenik should probably reevaluate that stance because he’s personally authorized the use of this system to target and kill al Qaeda’s leadership at a rate four times that of President Bush. One gets the distinct impression that you don't want Obama deciding that you're a clear and present danger to the United States.
The story of how this process developed is interesting and fairly scary. (After reading Kill Decision and this, I’m worried that the evil robot apocalypse will soon be upon us.) Bowden does a nice job of laying out how the changing US tactics and increases in the use of highly experienced special forces groups like SEAL Team Six contributed to the decision to risk going into Pakistan after bin Laden when the intelligence that he was actually there was not certain.
However, while this story is intriguing, it also feels a bit like filler because Bowden didn’t have enough declassified material about the manhunt and final raid to fill out an entire book. There’s a telling lapse in which the courier who was the final link to bin Laden is discovered. Bowden describes how that courier’s alias had come up several times in various interrogations over the years, but he doesn’t know how the US ultimately tracked him down. Bowden notes that one analyst told him that story would make a book in itself so it’s frustrating to be left hanging. Plus, it seems entirely possible that bin Laden was actually discovered by someone ratting him out for the $25 million reward and that this talk of tracking the courier is a story to cover for whoever dropped a dime on him.
The story of the attack itself as Obama and several of his key advisors watched in real time via drone cameras is a vivid account, but again, there’s nothing there that hasn’t been reported already. Plus, since SEAL Team Six couldn't be identified or interviewed, Bowden has to stick with bland descriptions instead of sketching out some background to give us an idea of who they are or what they were thinking during the attack.*
*My library copy of the book included a loose card with a note from Bowden noting that a member of the SEAL team released a different account of bin Laden’s final moments after his book went to press, and that he’ll research and note it in later editions.
There’s some fascinating stuff here like how the US has adapted its methods over the course of the war on terror, and there’s a very nice account of how the plan came together as well as how President Obama arrived at the decision to risk the raid. We also get some insight into how bin Laden spent his last years isolated in hiding and increasingly seeming like Hitler in the bunker ordering phantom armies into battle. Still, this feels like a good magazine feature article that’s had a fair amount of filler added to pad it out since there weren’t enough classified details released yet to make it a thorough and definitive telling of the death of bin Laden.
October 26, 2012
The title is a bit of a misnomer. This book is basically an executive summary of the hunt for OBL through three presidencies. Obama is painted as wise and capable. Bush is treated fairly. Clinton looks terrible. I was slightly disappointed with this book as it's a departure from Bowden's previously thorough accounts of Somalia and Colombia. There are no maps or pictures or footnotes. Bowden left the raid itself to the SEALs to write about. He did not talk to any of the SEAL participants. But still it's well written and informative. People who give this one star reviews are just Obama haters who don't want to credit him with doing something bold or they are readers who expect some type of paean to the warrior. The real hero of this whole raid is the unnamed pilot of the helicopter who capably landed the helo so that it landed right side up. He intentionally clipped the wall so the helo would set down right side up so the SEALs could continue the mission. The stealth helicopter's unique aerodynamics made it lose lift in the enclosed courtyard of OBL's house. The rehearsals had all taken place with chain link fencing allowing air flow. That Nightstalker pilot is the real hero of the raid. And of course Admiral Bill McRaven did a superb job of getting it done.
October 15, 2021
This is an informative account of the political desire to hunt down and kill Osama bin Laden after the attacks in 9/11. The author discusses the Clinton and Bush administrations and how they reacted to the threat of domestic attacks, then Bush's 'War on Terror.' It was clear that Barack Obama thought that this war had become foo wide and he wanted to bring the focus back on Osama bin Laden himself and top of his agenda was locating and killing the head of al-Qaeda.
Bowden's book centres more on the politics and there are other works available if you want a more focused account of the actual operation on the compound where bin Laden was holed up in Abbottabad, Pakistan, although that is covered of course. However, the main theme of this book is on the decision to conduct the operation which, as is pointed out, could have damaged Obama's attempts to gain a second term. While nobody could be certain that it was bin Laden living in the compound, most of those involved thought the evidence was enough to go ahead. Bowden also points out that other known terrorists, or major criminals, have managed to live fairly openly in their own small communities, but it is clear that bin Laden felt unsafe and only walked beneath a canopy to shade him from prying eyes, or drones. This does explain how bin Laden was located and the political willpower that made that happen.
Bowden's book centres more on the politics and there are other works available if you want a more focused account of the actual operation on the compound where bin Laden was holed up in Abbottabad, Pakistan, although that is covered of course. However, the main theme of this book is on the decision to conduct the operation which, as is pointed out, could have damaged Obama's attempts to gain a second term. While nobody could be certain that it was bin Laden living in the compound, most of those involved thought the evidence was enough to go ahead. Bowden also points out that other known terrorists, or major criminals, have managed to live fairly openly in their own small communities, but it is clear that bin Laden felt unsafe and only walked beneath a canopy to shade him from prying eyes, or drones. This does explain how bin Laden was located and the political willpower that made that happen.
March 22, 2013
In all, this was a great book. Unlike Mark Owen's/Matt Bissonette's earlier "No Easy Day," Bowden's book focuses on the actual hunt for the terrorist chief, detailing how the American military and defense communities retooled themselves to deal with a terrorist enemy that was everywhere and nowhere at once. President Obama receives some kudos for keeping OBL's capture/killing a top priority and for his unusually forceful decision to enter Pakistan to carry that out. But he also receives some censure for taking too much credit for the mission's success.
Bowden reveals bin Laden's increasing isolation after 9/11 and how it hampered his ability to control al-Qaeda, which soon split into various regional affiliates and became an umbrella organization, reducing the previously dominat bin laden to the role of figurehead and TV propagandist.
Bowden also does a great job in describing the various inter-government debates on how to act on the intel that bin laden was in Abottabad and debunks some myths about it, such as that the majority was deadset against the raid. As Bowden reveals,most were in favor.
By contrast, I found Bowden's The Finish a balanced look at all the events leading up to to and including the raid at Abbottabad. For example, I've always assumed that when George W Bush invaded Iraq, he 'took his eye off the ball' as far as tracking down bin Ladin. Bowden argues convincingly that that was not the case. During the rest of Mr Bush's tenure as President, the vast, costly network of information gathering was assembled, along with technology like the so-called 'drones' that have decimated the al Qaeda leadership. Thus, when Barack Obama took office and directed Leon Panetta to find bin Ladin, we at last had the means to do so. Bowden correctly points out that in fighting terrorists like al Qaeda, the most difficult challenge is not to kill them, but to first find them. It's good to know that we've gotten pretty good at it.
There are also a few errors, but they don't really matter; for example, Bowden refers to the network of CIA-recruited tribal agents in 1990s Afghanistan as "Tripoint", when thier correct code-name was Trodpint. Bowden also writes that "Tora Bora" means "black cave" when it actually means "black dust". And Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in 2006, not 2005. Bowden also refers to Ramzi bin al-Shibh as one of the 9/11 hijackers when he was clearly not.
Other than that, this was a great book.
Bowden reveals bin Laden's increasing isolation after 9/11 and how it hampered his ability to control al-Qaeda, which soon split into various regional affiliates and became an umbrella organization, reducing the previously dominat bin laden to the role of figurehead and TV propagandist.
Bowden also does a great job in describing the various inter-government debates on how to act on the intel that bin laden was in Abottabad and debunks some myths about it, such as that the majority was deadset against the raid. As Bowden reveals,most were in favor.
By contrast, I found Bowden's The Finish a balanced look at all the events leading up to to and including the raid at Abbottabad. For example, I've always assumed that when George W Bush invaded Iraq, he 'took his eye off the ball' as far as tracking down bin Ladin. Bowden argues convincingly that that was not the case. During the rest of Mr Bush's tenure as President, the vast, costly network of information gathering was assembled, along with technology like the so-called 'drones' that have decimated the al Qaeda leadership. Thus, when Barack Obama took office and directed Leon Panetta to find bin Ladin, we at last had the means to do so. Bowden correctly points out that in fighting terrorists like al Qaeda, the most difficult challenge is not to kill them, but to first find them. It's good to know that we've gotten pretty good at it.
There are also a few errors, but they don't really matter; for example, Bowden refers to the network of CIA-recruited tribal agents in 1990s Afghanistan as "Tripoint", when thier correct code-name was Trodpint. Bowden also writes that "Tora Bora" means "black cave" when it actually means "black dust". And Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in 2006, not 2005. Bowden also refers to Ramzi bin al-Shibh as one of the 9/11 hijackers when he was clearly not.
Other than that, this was a great book.
July 17, 2024
A comprehensive telling of the events leading up to the killing of Bin Laden. Bowden examines all the agencies involved as the search for the architect of 9/11 dragged on for 10 years. As always, Bowden sticks to the facts, giving all agencies and people involved their due.
Chapters alternate between Bin Ladens camp and all the government agencies that painstakingly continued searching and piecing clues together. Although the outcome of the search was known, Bowden's writing still gives you moments of tension as The Seal Team prepare to raid the compound , that only some believed, housed the fugitive. Not expecting it, I learned quite a bit that was previously unknown to me regarding the hunt.
I have one of the first books from the first edition of publication. In the front inside cover there is a statement from Bowden. As soon as his book was published one of the Seal Team published their own account of the events. At the time of writing, Bowden had not been able to talk to any of the members of the Seal Team involved. There are small discrepancies of the 2 different accounts. Bowden assured his readers that future copies of his book would include the Seal members account.
An great information source on the subject. Recommended for those who like non-fiction.
Chapters alternate between Bin Ladens camp and all the government agencies that painstakingly continued searching and piecing clues together. Although the outcome of the search was known, Bowden's writing still gives you moments of tension as The Seal Team prepare to raid the compound , that only some believed, housed the fugitive. Not expecting it, I learned quite a bit that was previously unknown to me regarding the hunt.
I have one of the first books from the first edition of publication. In the front inside cover there is a statement from Bowden. As soon as his book was published one of the Seal Team published their own account of the events. At the time of writing, Bowden had not been able to talk to any of the members of the Seal Team involved. There are small discrepancies of the 2 different accounts. Bowden assured his readers that future copies of his book would include the Seal members account.
An great information source on the subject. Recommended for those who like non-fiction.
March 16, 2013
Unless you've been living in a cave you probably know who Osama bin Laden is. Ironically, bin Laden was thought to have been actually living in a cave at some point, but instead he was living in a suburban neighborhood in Pakistan. If you count yourselves among those who have not been living in a cave, you also probably know that there were two major books regarding the hunt for bin Laden published in 2012. One was No Easy Day written by former Navy SEAL Mark Owen (pseudonym; his real name has been leaked, but I'll keep referring to him under his published name) and the other was The Finish: The Killing of Osama bin Laden by Mark Bowden, the book I review here.
For the benefit of those who have been living in a cave I provide this spoiler:
Many know Bowden as the author of the excellent Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War, however The Finish is probably more illustrative of how modern warfare is waged. While Iraq and Afghanistan make evident the continuing relevance of effective conventional forces, unconventional forces and intelligence assets are increasingly becoming decisive elements in wars that have no clear battle lines.
This is probably the best book currently out dealing with the topic (that I know of, at least--I only know of three). While Owens' book No Easy Day covers the mission that killed bin Laden, his book is actually more about what it's like to be a SEAL Team 6 operator and is through his own individual and limited viewpoint. Bowden tries to present the big picture of America's campaign against Al Qaeda and bin Laden, covering not just the military and intelligence efforts but also the political ramifications involved.
I particularly liked hearing about the new technologies in intelligence gathering and processing. What can't you do with computers these days? Whom many may call "nerds" are often vital cyber-warriors these days. And it's nice to know that the CIA isn't all about smuggling drugs and financing banana republics. They do do humanitarian things once in a while, like financing a Pakistani doctor's child vaccination program (of course, they wanted the syringes to see if any of the kids had DNA related to bin Laden, but still…). But I jest, I jest out of love. While the CIA does have a long reputation of, shall we say, "ethical flexibility," these men and women that work behind the scenes do some amazing things, things they will never receive official recognition for.
While this is probably the best book out currently, its limitations are apparent. Several years had passed between what happened in Mogadishu and Bowden's Black Hawk Down. For The Finish only a year or so had passed. I feel like there was a rush to publish in order to keep the book timely. I would have liked to have seen an index and a section of photos. Furthermore, a lot of the stuff Bowden writes about are the results of covert actions, sources and methods that, naturally, the government wishes to protect. Unfortunately for us, this makes a somewhat superficial account. It sort of read to me like a made-for-TV movie (although a very good made-for-TV movie).
Nevertheless, The Finish is a concise and, at times, exciting history of America's pursuit of bin Laden. Read it together with Owen's book (the last half, at least) because there are some slight discrepancies in what happened at bin Laden's compound. Discrepancies or no, it doesn't matter. Dude's dead.
For the benefit of those who have been living in a cave I provide this spoiler:
Many know Bowden as the author of the excellent Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War, however The Finish is probably more illustrative of how modern warfare is waged. While Iraq and Afghanistan make evident the continuing relevance of effective conventional forces, unconventional forces and intelligence assets are increasingly becoming decisive elements in wars that have no clear battle lines.
This is probably the best book currently out dealing with the topic (that I know of, at least--I only know of three). While Owens' book No Easy Day covers the mission that killed bin Laden, his book is actually more about what it's like to be a SEAL Team 6 operator and is through his own individual and limited viewpoint. Bowden tries to present the big picture of America's campaign against Al Qaeda and bin Laden, covering not just the military and intelligence efforts but also the political ramifications involved.
I particularly liked hearing about the new technologies in intelligence gathering and processing. What can't you do with computers these days? Whom many may call "nerds" are often vital cyber-warriors these days. And it's nice to know that the CIA isn't all about smuggling drugs and financing banana republics. They do do humanitarian things once in a while, like financing a Pakistani doctor's child vaccination program (of course, they wanted the syringes to see if any of the kids had DNA related to bin Laden, but still…). But I jest, I jest out of love. While the CIA does have a long reputation of, shall we say, "ethical flexibility," these men and women that work behind the scenes do some amazing things, things they will never receive official recognition for.
While this is probably the best book out currently, its limitations are apparent. Several years had passed between what happened in Mogadishu and Bowden's Black Hawk Down. For The Finish only a year or so had passed. I feel like there was a rush to publish in order to keep the book timely. I would have liked to have seen an index and a section of photos. Furthermore, a lot of the stuff Bowden writes about are the results of covert actions, sources and methods that, naturally, the government wishes to protect. Unfortunately for us, this makes a somewhat superficial account. It sort of read to me like a made-for-TV movie (although a very good made-for-TV movie).
Nevertheless, The Finish is a concise and, at times, exciting history of America's pursuit of bin Laden. Read it together with Owen's book (the last half, at least) because there are some slight discrepancies in what happened at bin Laden's compound. Discrepancies or no, it doesn't matter. Dude's dead.
September 27, 2018
In typical succinct but descriptive Bowden style, he analyzes the political and technological aspects of the hunts for Osama Bin Laden starting in 1991 when the US first began to hunt for him and ending with his death in 2011. This is a lot of ground to cover in only 266 pages. Bowden makes it work, but there were a few times I needed to take a break to absorb all the information shoved into one paragraph. The biggest strength of the book is in Bowden's both fair and critical treatment of each of the three presidents involved: Clinton, Bush, and Obama. Notably absent is the intricate detail on the raid itself, although Bowden clearly explains why he doesn't include it. As this book is more about presidential decision making and the political motivations which drove many of the decisions instead of a book about military strategy, I didn't miss a more detailed account. I highly recommend this excellent hindsight analysis.
March 21, 2018
Bogen er meget rig på detaljer og information
Alt for meget
Tungt Sprog - ingen drive i fortællingen
Især 1. Halvdel er decideret kedelig !!!
Alt for meget
Tungt Sprog - ingen drive i fortællingen
Især 1. Halvdel er decideret kedelig !!!
April 23, 2013
This book was awful, I was looking for a book on the actual raid and the people who actually carried out the mission. The author by his own admission admits that he did not speak with any members of the Seal teams. What you got instead was 230 pages of political crap that really didn't add a thing to the story of the mission, and 30 very brief pages about the raid and those 30 pages still spend a lot of time covering politics and administrations. I would not recommend this book to anyone.
October 3, 2024
I read a book called Seal Target Geronimo by Chuck Pfarrer a couple years ago, but this book was much better. The Finish: The Killing of Osama Bin Laden reads like a thriller/crime novel. Nail biter until the end, even though I knew what was going to happen. Excellent book. Highly Recommend.
October 28, 2013
Don’t bother reading this book. Just read Peter Bergen’s Manhunt instead. Mark Bowden’s Black Hawk Down is a classic in special operations reporting, but The Finish is a disappointment because it is nothing but a rewrite of Peter Bergen’s book. I had personally heard from an inside source a few years ago that Mark Bowden had been cut off from U.S. special forces due to him having publshibed some classified informaiton, so I thought it was unsual when I heard that this book was coming out with Bowden having "unprecendented access" to government sources. Once I read it though, I figured out the sham for I promise you that there is hardly a shred of information in The Finish that is not in Manhunt.
Mark Bowden took the name The Finish from the Stanley McChrystal’s policy of F3EAD for destroying insurgent networks: Find, Fix, Finish, Exploit, Analyze, Disseminate. So Bowden focused his book on the Finding and Fixing of the Abbottobad compound by the CIA, and then by the end, the Finish, or elimination of bin Laden by JSOC. But as you might have already guessed, all this information is also in Manhunt. If you want to read good Mark Bowden, pick up Black Hawk Down, but if you want to read about the bin Laden find and finish, pick up Manhunt.
Mark Bowden took the name The Finish from the Stanley McChrystal’s policy of F3EAD for destroying insurgent networks: Find, Fix, Finish, Exploit, Analyze, Disseminate. So Bowden focused his book on the Finding and Fixing of the Abbottobad compound by the CIA, and then by the end, the Finish, or elimination of bin Laden by JSOC. But as you might have already guessed, all this information is also in Manhunt. If you want to read good Mark Bowden, pick up Black Hawk Down, but if you want to read about the bin Laden find and finish, pick up Manhunt.
January 24, 2013
Bowden's record as a writer speaks for itself, but I thought this book was a bit perfunctory, essentially a summary of the search for bin Laden, with some color, but fundamentally hampered by the classified nature of the information that would've made the book actually interesting to read. As a result, it's not really any informative than many of the news articles written about the event since it happened. And the book's brevity sort of speaks to that. He tries to give it some depth by putting the search and the finish into some foreign policy context, but it's still a fairly shallow analysis, focused mostly on bin Laden's increasing isolation in the context of a rapidly changing Middle East political landscape.
Overall, it seemed like a rush job, given that he likely knew that he was competing with at least one other book and movie, taking away any time he might've had to deeply penetrate the subject and come away with some greater insights.
Overall, it seemed like a rush job, given that he likely knew that he was competing with at least one other book and movie, taking away any time he might've had to deeply penetrate the subject and come away with some greater insights.
Want to read
October 28, 2015"The fake raid was about getting Obama reelected, not taking down a ghost and bringing justice to the 9/11 victims."
in:http://disquietreservations.blogspot....
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/18/mag...
http://www.lrb.co.uk/v37/n10/seymour-...
in:http://disquietreservations.blogspot....
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/18/mag...
http://www.lrb.co.uk/v37/n10/seymour-...
December 14, 2024
I've read a couple of books regarding the mission to kill Osama Bin Laden. One was
'Seal Target Geronimo' written by a Seal Team Six member that was not on the raid, but interviewed fellow teammates. The other was part of William Mcraven's book 'Sea Stories' where he described planning the mission. Mark Bowden is best known for writing 'Black Hawk Down', which I've read, and several other books. Another of Bowden's books I've read is 'Road Work' a collection of pieces he wrote while working with the Philadelphia Inquirer. Bowden approaches this subject matter in the same way as the other books, much as an investigative reporter would in covering a story. Bowden's book starts with 9/11, primarily from interviewee's points of view. Several of these sources were individuals in the Obama administration including President Obama himself, unnamed sources in the CIA, and the Joint Special Operations Command. A large portion of the book is written from this perspective of higher government leadership. Starting this book, I was afraid it would be repetitive of the other books I have read on the subject, but instead found it to be a great compliment to those other works. Actually, for a stand alone account this would be the best book to start with. I love Bowden's writing style, and have several of his other books on my to read list.
'Seal Target Geronimo' written by a Seal Team Six member that was not on the raid, but interviewed fellow teammates. The other was part of William Mcraven's book 'Sea Stories' where he described planning the mission. Mark Bowden is best known for writing 'Black Hawk Down', which I've read, and several other books. Another of Bowden's books I've read is 'Road Work' a collection of pieces he wrote while working with the Philadelphia Inquirer. Bowden approaches this subject matter in the same way as the other books, much as an investigative reporter would in covering a story. Bowden's book starts with 9/11, primarily from interviewee's points of view. Several of these sources were individuals in the Obama administration including President Obama himself, unnamed sources in the CIA, and the Joint Special Operations Command. A large portion of the book is written from this perspective of higher government leadership. Starting this book, I was afraid it would be repetitive of the other books I have read on the subject, but instead found it to be a great compliment to those other works. Actually, for a stand alone account this would be the best book to start with. I love Bowden's writing style, and have several of his other books on my to read list.
January 6, 2024
I was really pleasantly surprised by this. It’s a totally serious piece of journalism by a guy who clearly has some clout in writing about this sort of topic. I actually think a book on the Bin Laden raid is a tough one to write, namely because everyone already knows the story already. People are familiar with the major people, decisions, and how the story ends before they even pick up a book on it. But this was just an enjoyable read despite all that. It was exciting (despite the caveats above), thorough, and doesn’t sugarcoat anything. It’s totally non-partisan too, which I really liked. There’s no flag waving for any one political party or unnecessary hype about the military aspects. I actually learned quite a bit from this too that I hadn’t read elsewhere too. -1 star for occasionally irrelevant tangents/drawn out histories, but overall well done.
September 5, 2019
This kind of thing isn't usually my cup of tea, but I quite liked it. You get some history of how the infamous fanatic Bin Laden became the most wanted man in the world going back to the Soviet days and beyond that to when he was the spoiled son of a Saudi billionaire. And you also hear the US side, from aiding the Bin Laden and his rebels fighting the Soviets, to the USS Cole bombing to 9/11 and the subsequent hunt. Of course, you know the ending, a mass-murderer dies an ignoble death. The logistics that went into the hunt for this guy were beyond complex. (Remind me to never give the US government, the most staggering organization in the history of the world, a reason to chase me.) Bowden interviewed CIA agents, a Navy Seal involved in the raid, and even a President for his research, and he covered his bases. His book Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War came highly recommended by a friend, but I thought I wasn't into true war books. I guess I am into them. I'll read it.
September 26, 2023
It's Mark Bowden: it's deeply researched, with lots of first-hand sources including Barack Obama himself. He provides lots of context on the development of al Quaeda and this book shows how quickly the digital analysis of all tracks and data has taken the first seat in intelligence gathering efforts. Plus the finish is very tense, without trying to be sensational.
November 16, 2021
Gillade verkligen inte hur den var skriven. Det verkar delvis bero på översättningen dock men det försämrade min upplevelse. Boken känns för spretig och amerikacentrerad men å andra sidan är den skriven av en amerikan så det kan ju förklara en del. Vissa delar var dock väldigt spännande.
April 2, 2022
I will never forget this day as long as I live, the day that President Obama announced Osama bin Laden had been killed. Just as September 11 has been seared into my memory as a college freshman far from home, this day is as well.
June 30, 2020
The tangible mission which was dubbed ‘Operation Neptune Spear’, officially commenced in the wee hours of May 2, Pakistan time. According to the Eastern Daylight Time it was the afternoon of 1st May.
It was on that fateful day, that U.S. Special Forces went on to raid an al-Qaeda compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The world’s most wanted terrorist: Osama bin Laden, known to the American agencies as UBL aka Usama Bin laden was killed. The entire operation, which lasted only 40 minutes from start to finish, was the culmination of years of calculated planning and training.
Ultimately, bin Laden was found and killed within nine minutes, and SEAL Team Six was credited with carrying out a nearly flawless mission.
The hunt positively commenced around 2007. At this time, U.S. intelligence officials discovered the name of one of bin Laden’s closest couriers, whom they speculated may have been involved in supporting or harboring the terrorist.
By late 2010, analysts were able to link the courier to a large, highly-secured compound in Abbottabad, a town about 35 miles north of Islamabad.
The compound’s unusual and extensive security features, along with further intelligence information, prompted suspicion that the residence was Osama bin Laden’s hideout.
On April 29, 2011, President Barack Obama authorized a small special operations team, known as SEAL Team Six, to carry out a raid on the compound. The team began intense training for the operation, which included practicing in a life-sized replica of the compound.
A terrific storyteller, Bowden carves up a feast cooked with the spice of the overwrought excitement accompanying the final months of the bin Laden hunt. In the process, Bowden appraises the sturdy advancement made in intelligence processing and military capabilities that led to the raid on Abbottabad. This book is close to a textbook illustration of multifaceted national security and decision-making issues.
The only pickle with this book is that you are really waiting for the chase and the excitement that the title of the book perhaps falsely suggests this book is really all about. In authenticity, "The Killing of Osama Bin Laden" depicts a little more than 1 page of this book.
To conclude, the narrative, which is dramatic and almost cinematic, keeps you glued to the edge of your seat.
A 4.5 on 5 I’d say.
It was on that fateful day, that U.S. Special Forces went on to raid an al-Qaeda compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The world’s most wanted terrorist: Osama bin Laden, known to the American agencies as UBL aka Usama Bin laden was killed. The entire operation, which lasted only 40 minutes from start to finish, was the culmination of years of calculated planning and training.
Ultimately, bin Laden was found and killed within nine minutes, and SEAL Team Six was credited with carrying out a nearly flawless mission.
The hunt positively commenced around 2007. At this time, U.S. intelligence officials discovered the name of one of bin Laden’s closest couriers, whom they speculated may have been involved in supporting or harboring the terrorist.
By late 2010, analysts were able to link the courier to a large, highly-secured compound in Abbottabad, a town about 35 miles north of Islamabad.
The compound’s unusual and extensive security features, along with further intelligence information, prompted suspicion that the residence was Osama bin Laden’s hideout.
On April 29, 2011, President Barack Obama authorized a small special operations team, known as SEAL Team Six, to carry out a raid on the compound. The team began intense training for the operation, which included practicing in a life-sized replica of the compound.
A terrific storyteller, Bowden carves up a feast cooked with the spice of the overwrought excitement accompanying the final months of the bin Laden hunt. In the process, Bowden appraises the sturdy advancement made in intelligence processing and military capabilities that led to the raid on Abbottabad. This book is close to a textbook illustration of multifaceted national security and decision-making issues.
The only pickle with this book is that you are really waiting for the chase and the excitement that the title of the book perhaps falsely suggests this book is really all about. In authenticity, "The Killing of Osama Bin Laden" depicts a little more than 1 page of this book.
To conclude, the narrative, which is dramatic and almost cinematic, keeps you glued to the edge of your seat.
A 4.5 on 5 I’d say.
November 21, 2014
Skip this book unless you would have read it if the title had been “The White House’s Role in Killing Bin Laden – As Told by White House Staff”.
If you scan the table of contents, you will see this is not really about how the Bin Laden was found or the mission to kill him. More than 60% the book is the run-up and the preparation for the raid as witnesses and lived by Obama and his staff. The book extensively quotes Obama and his people and this was his main source for original material in the book. The remaining parts of the book are how Bin Laden became the leader of his terrorist group, including quotes from several of his letters (which I found the best part of the book). Also, there are some details about the early CIA team that hunted Bin Laden and finally a short chapter about the mission itself. The author, Mark Bowden, openly admits his limited access to key figures and explains that the bulk of his information and sources, other than his White House contacts, were taken from reading the other few books published on this topic. Reading this book, you get the sense that after about a two week period when he has access to White House staff, he spends another week reading the other Bin Laden books and then knocks out this book over a long weekend.
Another significant problem with this book is how it comes across as a political commentary rather than a fact based story. Obama deserves credit for being the Commander and Chief who over saw the final stage of the hunt for Bin Laden. Also he made a courageous decision to approve the mission to go after him Bin laden. Unfortunately this book goes far past giving the White House credit. Bowden comes across as White House sycophant who traded access to Obama a “fanboy” tale about do no wrong White House. His constant praise for everything Obama and needless and almost uniform criticism of his predecessor needlessly makes overtly political. Regardless of your political persuasion, I have no idea why he felt it was important to litter the book with his own politics. Bowden goes so far as making the ridiculous assertion that had Mitt Romney been president he probably would have not approved this raid (a needless hypothetical statement that added zero value to the story, other than a further display of Bowden’s political bias). This book reads as if the White House had final editing rights, however (and ironically) I doubt this is true since had Obama’s PR staff had this editorial access they would convinced Bowden to tone down his overt hero worship just to make a more believable (and a more positive reflection on the White House).
Strangely, in the final Chapter of the book, Bowden starts to add some balance, with a quote from a CIA Bin Laden hunter who claimed Obama’s extra focus on the hunt for Bin Laden made no practical difference on finding him. Bowden draws attention to how in Obama’s public White House speech, on the night of the raid, there was a lot of “I this and I that”. Also, Bowden states that in the end Joe Biden was the only key figure against the raid. However, holding these comments to the final chapter seems bizarre. It was as if Bowden did a final read of the book and realized he needed to add balance, but instead of changing what was already written he just tagged a final chapter on the book so he could say to his “did you read the final chapter?”.
This book is not being sold as a political commentary or a White House account of the Bin Laden search and kill mission, thus I can only imagine that many other buyers of this book, like me, will feel duped.
If you scan the table of contents, you will see this is not really about how the Bin Laden was found or the mission to kill him. More than 60% the book is the run-up and the preparation for the raid as witnesses and lived by Obama and his staff. The book extensively quotes Obama and his people and this was his main source for original material in the book. The remaining parts of the book are how Bin Laden became the leader of his terrorist group, including quotes from several of his letters (which I found the best part of the book). Also, there are some details about the early CIA team that hunted Bin Laden and finally a short chapter about the mission itself. The author, Mark Bowden, openly admits his limited access to key figures and explains that the bulk of his information and sources, other than his White House contacts, were taken from reading the other few books published on this topic. Reading this book, you get the sense that after about a two week period when he has access to White House staff, he spends another week reading the other Bin Laden books and then knocks out this book over a long weekend.
Another significant problem with this book is how it comes across as a political commentary rather than a fact based story. Obama deserves credit for being the Commander and Chief who over saw the final stage of the hunt for Bin Laden. Also he made a courageous decision to approve the mission to go after him Bin laden. Unfortunately this book goes far past giving the White House credit. Bowden comes across as White House sycophant who traded access to Obama a “fanboy” tale about do no wrong White House. His constant praise for everything Obama and needless and almost uniform criticism of his predecessor needlessly makes overtly political. Regardless of your political persuasion, I have no idea why he felt it was important to litter the book with his own politics. Bowden goes so far as making the ridiculous assertion that had Mitt Romney been president he probably would have not approved this raid (a needless hypothetical statement that added zero value to the story, other than a further display of Bowden’s political bias). This book reads as if the White House had final editing rights, however (and ironically) I doubt this is true since had Obama’s PR staff had this editorial access they would convinced Bowden to tone down his overt hero worship just to make a more believable (and a more positive reflection on the White House).
Strangely, in the final Chapter of the book, Bowden starts to add some balance, with a quote from a CIA Bin Laden hunter who claimed Obama’s extra focus on the hunt for Bin Laden made no practical difference on finding him. Bowden draws attention to how in Obama’s public White House speech, on the night of the raid, there was a lot of “I this and I that”. Also, Bowden states that in the end Joe Biden was the only key figure against the raid. However, holding these comments to the final chapter seems bizarre. It was as if Bowden did a final read of the book and realized he needed to add balance, but instead of changing what was already written he just tagged a final chapter on the book so he could say to his “did you read the final chapter?”.
This book is not being sold as a political commentary or a White House account of the Bin Laden search and kill mission, thus I can only imagine that many other buyers of this book, like me, will feel duped.
November 29, 2013
Quite interesting. The author also wrote Black Hawk Down
Bowden indicates out that the primary credit to the Obama administration goes to a policy that focussed more on destroying the morale and leadership of Al Qaeda rather than large scale military involvement and establishing very early on a policy that the United States would engage in a policy of hot pursuit, regardless of issues of Pakistani sovereignty. Although he gets some credit for making sure that fallback plans were in place (so that the downed helicopter would not prove a disaster in the actual raid), the bad experience of the ill-fated raid to rescue the hostages in the Carter administration, plus a lot of experience in making lighting raids on terrorists, meant that the Seals were very good at contingency planning.
What President Obama does not get credit for, was making a unilateral call for action (as some have incorrectly claimed).
The majority of the principals favored the decision that Obama ultimately made, with a minority suggesting an alternate approach of shooting Osama bin Laden with a small remotely controlled missile. There were many objections to that approach: it was an untried technology, there would be no way to obtain DNA to verify the kill, and there would be no ability to seize records and other physical intelligence.
One bit I found fascinating was how the feasibility demonstrations, or actually QA testing, as you might call it, proceeded, and why that helicopter went out of control in the actual raid, but not in the practice runs.
Bowden indicates out that the primary credit to the Obama administration goes to a policy that focussed more on destroying the morale and leadership of Al Qaeda rather than large scale military involvement and establishing very early on a policy that the United States would engage in a policy of hot pursuit, regardless of issues of Pakistani sovereignty. Although he gets some credit for making sure that fallback plans were in place (so that the downed helicopter would not prove a disaster in the actual raid), the bad experience of the ill-fated raid to rescue the hostages in the Carter administration, plus a lot of experience in making lighting raids on terrorists, meant that the Seals were very good at contingency planning.
What President Obama does not get credit for, was making a unilateral call for action (as some have incorrectly claimed).
The majority of the principals favored the decision that Obama ultimately made, with a minority suggesting an alternate approach of shooting Osama bin Laden with a small remotely controlled missile. There were many objections to that approach: it was an untried technology, there would be no way to obtain DNA to verify the kill, and there would be no ability to seize records and other physical intelligence.
One bit I found fascinating was how the feasibility demonstrations, or actually QA testing, as you might call it, proceeded, and why that helicopter went out of control in the actual raid, but not in the practice runs.
November 25, 2015
This book was a disappointment to say the least. I was and I guess still am a fan of “Blackhawk Down”, that style of writing from Bowden. With Blackhawk Down I felt that Bowden did a fantastic job of showing both sides of the story, and really just telling the story, not putting a spin on the information. The majority of this book feels like Bowden’s whole purpose of writing it was for a tribute to Obama. He obviously loves Obama and thinks Obama is the greatest president ever. Throughout the book Bowden continuously drivels about how great he is, and how stupid Bush was, that he got to speak to Obama, and this and that. This book felt watered down, like broth… just really no substance to it. I honestly had a hard time finishing the book. I just about put the book down for good when he said that Obama should take credit for the killing of Bin Laden. What? Are you serious? OK, hear me out. Consider you are married… you and your spouse are discussing your child playing football. You weigh all the options, cost, danger involved, etc. You finally agree that he can play. You turn this young man over to the team mates and coach, who then trains him, spends time with him, and make sure he knows his role and purpose. The boy works hard. The coach is intelligent and gives him good instruction. During one game, he runs his route perfectly, catches the ball, jukes a defender and runs in for a touchdown. Who does the credit belong to? The child? The coach? The individual who called the play? The Parent? The parent you say? Why would the parent receive the credit? Yes, what if the parent stood up and says, “I take credit for that touchdown, because I let him play.” Sounds absurd, doesn’t it. The only thing the parent did was allow that child to play. Just as absurd is the rationale that Obama did anything more but “allow” the operation to be carried out. Yet the author feels he deserves the credit. One more thing that turned me off was that Bowden put in a little dig to the folks who didn’t share their information and stories with him, and went and wrote their own book. You know what? Hats off to you Kevin Maurer and Matt Bissonnette. I would much rather see the man who put his butt on the line reap the rewards of his experience and story and make the money. I know firsthand that the servicemen and women are underpaid for what they lay on the line. My final opinion? If you want to read a book about the killing of Bin Laden, and want the meat and potatoes version, skip this book and go read “No Easy Day.”
December 10, 2012
I'm a big Mark Bowden fan, having really enjoyed Black Hawk Down and Killing Pablo.
This book is great, and showcases Bowden's reporting and writing skills. He knows when to summarize long boring stretches (and he makes it clear it took a lot of long, boring stretches of mundane, routine intelligence work to run down bin Laden) and when to drill down into the details.
So why only three stars? He, by his own admission, did not speak with/interview any of the seals/pilots/military personnel actually involved in the raid. While I realize they may be sequestered and unwilling/unable to discuss the raid, it undercuts the book, especially with the publication of No Easy Day, written by one of the Seal participants.
A great summary of the investigation and road that lead to finding bin Laden (or, as the book makes clear, finding a guy that may have been bin Laden, but only a 50/50 chance of that), and the decision about whether or not to launch the raid. The information about the raid itself, how it went down, what everyone did, etc., was a little lacking. This book did not have the intense battle narrative that made Black Hawk Down so fascinating.
Still, it's a great recent history of the hunt, and would be a great precursor to reading No Easy Day or (maybe) watching Zero Dark Thirty.
This book is great, and showcases Bowden's reporting and writing skills. He knows when to summarize long boring stretches (and he makes it clear it took a lot of long, boring stretches of mundane, routine intelligence work to run down bin Laden) and when to drill down into the details.
So why only three stars? He, by his own admission, did not speak with/interview any of the seals/pilots/military personnel actually involved in the raid. While I realize they may be sequestered and unwilling/unable to discuss the raid, it undercuts the book, especially with the publication of No Easy Day, written by one of the Seal participants.
A great summary of the investigation and road that lead to finding bin Laden (or, as the book makes clear, finding a guy that may have been bin Laden, but only a 50/50 chance of that), and the decision about whether or not to launch the raid. The information about the raid itself, how it went down, what everyone did, etc., was a little lacking. This book did not have the intense battle narrative that made Black Hawk Down so fascinating.
Still, it's a great recent history of the hunt, and would be a great precursor to reading No Easy Day or (maybe) watching Zero Dark Thirty.
February 28, 2013
A gripping summary of the politics, espionage, and military planning that went into not only hunting down Bin Laden, but also goes into the U.S.' anti-terrorism strategy generally. Bowden makes a compelling argument that national strategy had to shift dramatically to combat al Qaeda. And I find the book helpful in understanding the context of curent events. The parts about the use of drones, for example, are especially relevant, and they raise interesting ethical questions for us as a nation and for our leaders in particular. Bowden also addresses the use of torture and interrogation.
This is not so much a book about the particular mission of killing bin Laden (whom Bowden argues was a symbol, but whose hiding made him irrelevant to his own organization), but about the conversations and decisions and information behind that mission, which are fascinating.
I was impressed by Bowden's thorough research, which include interviews with President Obama and General Petraeus, as well as others who had to remain un-named. The book seems like a bit of a rush in its editing though, as there's at least one typo (relevations) and sometimes a personage is quoted or talked about even though the person hasn't been introduced to the reader yet. There are dozens and dozens of people involved, and in future editions perhaps a chart would be helpful.
This is not so much a book about the particular mission of killing bin Laden (whom Bowden argues was a symbol, but whose hiding made him irrelevant to his own organization), but about the conversations and decisions and information behind that mission, which are fascinating.
I was impressed by Bowden's thorough research, which include interviews with President Obama and General Petraeus, as well as others who had to remain un-named. The book seems like a bit of a rush in its editing though, as there's at least one typo (relevations) and sometimes a personage is quoted or talked about even though the person hasn't been introduced to the reader yet. There are dozens and dozens of people involved, and in future editions perhaps a chart would be helpful.
November 13, 2012
I like Mark Bowden's writing. His Atlantic articles seem well researched and coherent. I highly recommend BlackHawk Down. If you;ve only seen the movie; read the book.
Someone described The Finish as more of an extended magazine article. I coul dsee how the arrive at that opinion. There were times I thought it felt like a publishers assignment; "We need an entry in this bin Laden thing by a reputable author".
Still, Mark Bowden bings his investigative and interviewing skills to bear on the task at hand, focusing on the 16 year hunt for bin Laden. I found it a fascnating peek "inside". He doesn't dwell on the final denouement. That's been covered bo others.
I have avoided books on the killing of bin Laden for my own personal reasons. Bowden's telling was worth the read.
Someone described The Finish as more of an extended magazine article. I coul dsee how the arrive at that opinion. There were times I thought it felt like a publishers assignment; "We need an entry in this bin Laden thing by a reputable author".
Still, Mark Bowden bings his investigative and interviewing skills to bear on the task at hand, focusing on the 16 year hunt for bin Laden. I found it a fascnating peek "inside". He doesn't dwell on the final denouement. That's been covered bo others.
I have avoided books on the killing of bin Laden for my own personal reasons. Bowden's telling was worth the read.
December 17, 2012
I've read other reviews that indicated that this book was poorly researched and seemed rushed to market. To the contrary, I found it a fascinating study on the little known events that led to finding UBL. For instance the role of McCrystal in shoring up our ability to gather and integrate all the sources of data available and mine it to get actionable intelligence to the operators in the field in a timely way. I also thought that it was a well balanced account of the political and moral decisions that the president had to make and the motivation behind making them. I highly recommend it to anyone, regardless of your politial leanings.
October 23, 2012
This is an excellent book. The author of several other fantastic books (Blackhawk down, Guest of the Ayatollah, and Worm - just to name a few) tackles the tracking down and killing of Bin Laden. Extremely well written and researched, it is a fascinating account of the events - and the final raid - on Bin Laden's compound in Pakistan. The book is engaging, discusses events on multiple levels (from the operators to the decision makers), and is full of fascinating details. (Did you know that they airlifted a dog - named Cairo - in with the special forces raid on Bin Laden? I didn't.)
October 29, 2012
It's been a while since I've read a book in one day. Black Hawk Down might have been the last. The Finish is a fascinating and balanced account of the operation to take out Osama Bin Laden. It corrects some of the embellishments to the story that appeared in the press at the time, but it generally shows the Obama administration, CIA, and US military at their very best. I admit to being a fan of President Obama for entirely other reasons, but I came away from this book with a new respect for the President as commander-in-chief.
January 12, 2013
Great Read. Mark Bowden's version of this historical event offers more background on Osama Bin Laden. I think it's interesting that our government backed and financed Bin Laden's efforts during the Russian occupation of Afghanistan only to have him turn around and use that experience against us later. Details of the events are different than other accounts. hmmm... who's version is more accurate?
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