Jawbreaker: The attack on bin Laden and al-Qaeda
Encyclopedia
Jawbreaker: The attack on bin Laden and al-Qaeda: A personal account by the CIA's key field commander is an autobiographical book by Gary Berntsen
describing the time he spent in Afghanistan
at the beginning of the American campaign
against the Taliban, al-Qaeda
and Osama bin Laden
after the September 11, 2001 attacks
.
In his acknowledgements, Berntsen describes that his original manuscript
was reviewed by the CIA as per agency guidelines that stipulate all publishable works detailing an agent's career must be reviewed by the CIA's Publications Review Board (PRB). The text of the book contains redactions to indicate where material has been censored to protect information and context the CIA deems classified.
In October 2006, Paramount Pictures
announced that Oliver Stone
would direct a film based on Berntsen's book, the rights to which had been bought earlier in the year. This would follow Stone's 2006 film, World Trade Center
, the September 11th attacks.
Gary Berntsen
Gary Berntsen is a decorated former Central Intelligence Agency career officer who served in the Directorate of Operations between October 1982 and June 2005...
describing the time he spent in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
at the beginning of the American campaign
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
against the Taliban, al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
and Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
after the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
.
In his acknowledgements, Berntsen describes that his original manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
was reviewed by the CIA as per agency guidelines that stipulate all publishable works detailing an agent's career must be reviewed by the CIA's Publications Review Board (PRB). The text of the book contains redactions to indicate where material has been censored to protect information and context the CIA deems classified.
In October 2006, Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
announced that Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
would direct a film based on Berntsen's book, the rights to which had been bought earlier in the year. This would follow Stone's 2006 film, World Trade Center
World Trade Center (film)
World Trade Center is a 2006 American disaster-drama film directed by Oliver Stone and based on the September 11 attacks at the World Trade Center. It stars Nicolas Cage, Maria Bello, Michael Peña, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Michael Shannon. The film was shot from October 19, 2005 - February 10, 2006...
, the September 11th attacks.
Release details
- 2005, United States of America, Crown Publishers ISBN 0-307-23740-0, Pub date 27 December 2005, Hardcover
- 2006, United States of America, Three Rivers Press ISBN 0-307-35106-8, Pub date 24 December 2006, Paperback
See also
- Gary SchroenGary SchroenGary C. Schroen is a former Central Intelligence Agency field officer who was in charge of the initial CIA incursion into Afghanistan in September 2001 to topple the Taliban regime and to destroy Al Qaeda....
- Battle of Tora BoraBattle of Tora BoraThe Battle of Tora Bora was a military engagement that took place in Afghanistan in December 2001, during the opening stages of the war in that country launched following the 9/11 attacks on the United States. The U.S...
- Operation Enduring Freedom
- Special Activities DivisionSpecial Activities DivisionThe Special Activities Division is a division in the United States Central Intelligence Agency's National Clandestine Service responsible for covert operations known as "special activities"...