Retracing the manhunt for Osama

This latest ‘American Manhunt’ series delves into one of the biggest manhunts in history — that of Osama bin Laden. It features interviews with the people who helped bring down the terrorist, including government officials and others who were involved.

We all know how the dastardly acts on September 11, 2001, by an infamous terrorist organisation, Al-Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden, shook the foundations of American society. Consequently, George Bush declared war on Al-Qaeda, and from that day onwards, Laden became the number one enemy of the United States of America.

Osama joined forces with the Taliban and fought against the Northern Alliance during the Afghan War. In 1992, US servicemen in Yemen were attacked and killed by Osama’s forces. Similar attacks happened in 1996 and 2000 in East Africa, Yemen and other countries.

But it was under Barack Obama’s stewardship that the manhunt eventually saw fruition. The American intelligence agencies, after conducting in-depth research, came to the conclusion that they would have to join forces with the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan to wage a war against Al-Qaeda. Though largely successful in obliterating most of the Al-Qaeda strongholds, Operation Khost did not result in the capture of Osama. The US forces reached Afghanistan, and together with the Northern Alliance, they were able to overpower the Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces. But, Osama bin Laden was nowhere to be found.

US Navy SEALs tracked down Abu Ahmed on Pakistani soil, captured Khalid Sheikh Mohammad in Rawalpindi, and were conducting all sorts of operations on Pakistani soil, but the narrative we hear is that Pakistan was totally unaware of all this happening on its soil. It’s ridiculous that Pakistan said that it was clueless about what the CIA and the special forces had planned to do in Abbottabad. Even more so that it was totally unaware that the world’s most wanted terrorist had been hiding in the country, a few kilometres away from one of their army bases, that too for years.

Perhaps it’s easier for both countries to put a veil on the truth regarding the turn of events.

While staging some of the events that led to Osama’s death, this documentary also poses important questions about military actions, government overreach and the long-term consequences of US counter-terrorism efforts. However, the ethical and moral dilemmas that come with waging a war on terror are conspicuously absent in representation.

The documentary focuses largely on the immense challenges American leaders faced in real-time. It recreates the behind-the-scenes details of one of history’s most famous manhunts. The documentary does not make any new revelations, but it does justice to the subject by being well researched while effectively laying out the facts behind the cross-continent manhunt and capture.

The documentary shows how the US crossed several roadblocks and made sure that nobody questioned its authority while managing to achieve its primary goal. It leads us through the events that led to the death of Osama bin Laden and shows us how US intelligence agencies were able to pull it off.

It’s an intriguing and eye-opening watch but for the veil being pulled on Pakistan’s complicity.