Netflix’s crime docuseries, American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden, explores the missions and battles undertaken by the U.S. Army, including the infamous Battle Of Tora Bora. Directed by Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan, American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden explores the decade-long manhunt to find Islamist terrorist Osama bin Laden after he publicly claimed responsibility for the September 11, 2001 attacks. The latest to join Netflix’s strong list of true-crime documentaries, the three-part series is the third installment in the American Manhunt series, with the first two series covering the Boston Marathon Bombing and the infamous acquittal of O.J. Simpson.
In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, the United States led an invasion of Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, resulting in the collapse of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan that had ruled most of the country for 15 years. This invasion marked the beginning of the War of Afghanistan, which lasted from 2001 to 2021, the longest war in US military history. Throughout the war, several missions and battles were undertaken, one of which was the Battle of Tora Bora, which took place during the final stages of the U.S. invasion in 2001.
The Battle Of Tora Bora Was An Attempt To Kill Or Capture Osama Bin Laden
The Battle Of Tora Bora Took Place From November 30 To December 17, 2001
In “A New Kind of Enemy,” the first episode of American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden, video footage of the September 11 attacks is shown, including footage of American Airlines Flight 77 crashing into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. Navy officer Kevin Shaeffer, who suffered serious injuries in the attack, recalled how “everything was burning all around,” and described the damage caused to the Pentagon as “a big black hole.” In the aftermath of the attacks, there were name checks conducted on the passengers before analysts were able to connect one of the terrorists to Osama Bin Laden.
Five days after the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush ordered the launch of an operation against bin Laden’s terrorist organization, al-Qa’ida, to gather all information necessary to allow U.S. military forces to enter Afghanistan, an operation that was known as Operation Jawbreaker (via CIA). CIA field commander, Gary Berntsen, recalls the early stages of Operation Jawbreaker, how his team had forces located in different areas of the state before one of bin Laden’s radios was found. A search of its range indicated that bin Laden was hiding in Tora Bora.
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On November 30, 2001, after Osama bin Laden was determined to be hiding in the White Mountain range of Tora Bora, the combined teams of CIA operatives and Afghan tribal militiamen began scouring the area to track down bin Laden’s exact whereabouts and aerial bombardments were put in place in the hopes of luring him out of his hiding place (via BBC). The primary goal of the mission was to find bin Laden in the hopes of either capturing him and bringing him back to the United States or killing him.
What Happened During The Battle Of Tora Bora
Bin Laden Escaped Capture By US Forces
In the early stages of the Battle of Tora Bora, a request was placed by Gary Berntsen for 800 United States Army Rangers. In American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden, Berntsen recalled that their forces were outnumbered, and they needed the rangers to assist in blocking any escape route. However, Berntsen’s request was denied by the United States Army (via United States Federal Government). In his autobiography, Jawbreaker: The Attack on Bin Laden and Al Qaeda: A Personal Account by the CIA’s Key Field Commander, Berntsen later admitted that this result had a heavy impact on the mission’s final results.
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In American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden, counterterrorism director, Cofer Black, and operator, Tracy Walder, expressed their frustrations at the refusal to send reinforcements from the military during the Battle of Tora Bora, with Black stating that he was informed by the representative that “this has nothing to do with [them]. This is a CIA operation.” It was confirmed on December 17, 2001, that the Tora Bora complex had been destroyed, and that around 220 al-Qaeda members were killed and 52 were captured (via Britannica). In the aftermath of Tora Bora’s destruction, CIA operatives searched the premises to locate bin Laden.
How Osama Bin Laden Escaped To Pakistan During The Battle Of Tora Bora
Bin Laden Evaded Capture Until His Assassination In 2011
It was not until six months after the Battle of Tora Bora that it was revealed that Osama bin Laden had survived and escaped to Pakistan (via The Cove). In American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden, Gary Berntsen revealed that he discovered that bin Laden had escaped after seeing him on television discussing his future plans. The news of bin Laden’s escape was a shocking blow to the US Government, with counterterrorism analyst, Cindy Storer, remarking that bin Laden “could go anywhere” and nobody knew what he was up to.
Although Osama bin Laden was assassinated in 2011, the War in Afghanistan did not officially end until August 30, 2021.
There are several theories as to how Osama bin Laden escaped to Pakistan, but it is believed that he was made aware of a tunnel system that ran through the mountains of Tora Bora to the Pakistani border, and he was guided through (via BBC). Osama bin Laden evaded capture for nearly 10 years until he was finally killed in Abbottabad during Operation Neptune Spear on May 2, 2011 (via FBI). As shown in American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden, the decade-long search for him heavily affected the United States and the War in Afghanistan.
Sources: CIA, BBC (1), United States Federal Government, Britannica, The Cove, BBC (2), FBI
