The Hunt For Osama Bin Laden (Operation Jawbreaker)

After the September 11th terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington D.C, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) headed a multi-operational attack on Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban in Afghanistan. The CIA's hunt for Bin Laden however predated the attacks upon the nation, according to news articles and documented intelligence reports, the agency were monitoring the embittered Saudi for many years while Bin Laden resided in the Sudan after he was forcibly expelled by the Saudis Bin Laden had built training camps and plotted against US military in Somalia with help from Al Qaeda.. US President Bill Clinton pressured Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, to expel Bin Laden. Meanwhile, CIA and Pentagon officials were often discussing about a capture or kill operation of Bin Laden. The Clinton Administration however, declined to ever commit to anything. By 1996, Bin Laden was welcomed back into Afghanistan, after Sudanese president al-Bashit had expelled him from the country,.

Bin Laden then began terrorist operations against the United States which started with two US embassy beings bombed in Kenya and Tanzania killing over 480 people. After the attacks of September 11th, the CIA then began constructing a covert operation which involved the CIA's National Clandestine Service's (NCS) Special Activities Division and 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne). The operation was also known as the "Battle of Tora Bora" which lasted 11 days. CIA case officers Gary Schroen and later, Gary Berntsen would lead the operation from Namghar Province, which had major success in eliminating large numbers of Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters, With Bin Laden and about 400 Al Qaeda fighters trapped against the White Mountains north of the country, Bin Laden, as he did in the Sudan, escaped death.