Operation Jawbreaker: A Look Back At The CIA's Bin Laden Hunters

A while back I covered Gary Berntsen, the former CIA field commander in Afghanistan at the start of the war, and Michael Scheuer, the former head of the CIA's bin Laden unit, for Counterterrorism magazine when they came to speak at the Philadelphia Free Library.

I later contacted Gary Berntsen and interviewed him for the piece.

You can read my piece below:

Note: You can click on the above to enlarge.

Former CIA Terror Fighter Warns That Americans "Will Die" Because Of Open Border

S.A. Miller at the Washington Times offers a piece on former CIA officer Michael F. Scheuer's view of the lack of security on the Mexican border.

Michael F. Scheuer, former head of the CIA’s Osama Bin Laden unit, said Thursday that the best way to protect Americans form terrorists is to secure the border.

“What we could have done after 9-11 if we really wanted to improve U.S. security … was to close the southern border and perhaps even spots on the northern border with Canada,” Mr. Scheuer said on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends.”

“At least you secure the continent in that way. Right now we’re exposed, not only internationally, but we don’t know who is in our country,” he said. “It seems to me that [it is] a simple conclusion of logic: Close the border, protect America.”

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/aug/21/former-cia-terror-fighter-warns-americans-will-die/

You can also read my Counterterrorism magazine interview with Michael Scheuer
 via the below link:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2011/05/q-with-former-cia-chief-of-bin-laden.html 

"Monumental Liar": Ex-CIA Officer Disputes New Clinton Audio On Bin Laden

Fox News interviewed the former head of the CIA's bin Laden unit, who disputed a newly released audio tape by former President Bill Clinton.

Clinton's statement came on the day before the 9/11 attacks at an address to Australian business leaders and the audio was obtained by Sky News Australia.

"I'm just saying, you know, if I were Usama bin Laden -- he's a very smart guy, I've spent a lot of time thinking about him -- and I nearly got him once," Clinton said on the recording. 

"I nearly got him. And I could have killed him, but I would have to destroy a little town called Kandahar in Afghanistan and kill 300 innocent women and children, and then I would have been no better than him. And so I didn't do it."

Scheuer (seen in the above photo) explained that the situation, in Dec. 1998, did not unfold the way Clinton claimed, calling the former president a "liar." 

You can watch the exchange via the below link:

http://foxnewsinsider.com/2014/08/01/ex-head-cia-bin-laden-unit-new-clinton-tape-hes-monumental-liar

 

I interviewed former CIA officer Michael Scheuer, the author of Osama Bin Laden, a while back for Counterterrorism magazine.

 

You can read the interesting interview via the below link:

 

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2011/05/q-with-former-cia-chief-of-bin-laden.html   

Arab Spring Has Created 'Intelligence Disaster,' Warns Former CIA Bin Laden Unit Chief

 

Michael Scheuer, the former CIA bin Laden unit chief and the author of Osama bin Laden, told the British newspaper the Guardian that the Arab Spring has not been a good thing for West intelligence services. He suggests that America bring back the rendition program.

The Arab spring has "delighted al-Qaida" and caused "an intelligence disaster" for the US and Britain, the former head of the CIA unit in charge of pursuing Osama bin Laden has warned.

Speaking at the Edinburgh international book festival, Michael Scheuer said: "The help we were getting from the Egyptian intelligence service, less so from the Tunisians but certainly from the Libyans and Lebanese, has dried up – either because of resentment at our governments stabbing their political leaders in the back, or because those who worked for the services have taken off in fear of being incarcerated or worse.

You can read the rest of the story via the below link:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/28/arab-spring-intelligence-disaster-scheuer

I interviewed Michael Scheuer for Counterterrorism magazine a while back. You can read the piece via the below links:

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/QandAMichaelScheuer.jpg

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Note: The above photo was provided by Michael Scheuer.

Michael Scheuer, The Former CIA Bin Laden Unit Chief, Believes The Media Is Anti-Agency And 'Thinks It's Fun To Put People At Risk'

Newsbusters.org offers a piece on Michael Scheuer, the former chief of the CIA's bin Laden unit, being interviewed on FoxNews about the media exposure of the CIA officer who headed the team of CIA officers and Navy SEALs who raided bin Laden's compound in Pakistan and killed him.

I liked when Michael Scheuer sarcastically referred to a Washington Post reporter, who won the "Pulitzer Prize for Treason."

You can watch the video clip and read a transcript of the interview via the below link.

http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/eric-ames/2011/07/29/michael-scheuer-media-anti-agency-thinks-its-fun-put-people-risk

I interviewed Michael Scheuer, the author of a book called Osama bin Laden, for Counterterrorism magazine just before bin Laden was killed.

You can read the interview via the below links:

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/QandAMichaelScheuer.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/QandAMichaelScheuer2.jpg

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The Man Who Hunted Osama Bin Laden

 

The Associated Press offers an interesting story about the CIA analyst who was key to the CIA/Navy SEAL take down of America's public enemy number one, Osama bin Laden.

You can read the story via the link to the New York Post below:

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/the_man_who_hunted_osama_bin_laden_tsPjneoWUYrx4d4eS3hXuL

Prior to the Navy SEALs' raid and killing of bin Laden, I interviewed Michael Scheuer, a retired CIA analyst who previously hunted bin Laden for many years.

Scheuer is the author Osama bin Laden, an interesting and informative look at the al-Qaeda leader.

You can read my interview with Scheuer in Counterterrorism magazine via the below links:

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/QandAMichaelScheuer.jpg

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http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/QandAMichaelScheuer4.jpg

My Q & A With Former CIA Bin Laden Unit Chief And Author Of "Osama Bin Laden," Michael Scheuer

Prior to the Navy SEALs killing America's Public Enemy Number 1, Osama bin Laden, I interviewed Michael Scheuer, the former CIA chief of the bin Laden unit and the author of a book on the al-Qaeda chief, called Osama bin Laden.

Although I don't totally agree with Mr. Scheuer's views, his book was interesting.

My interview appears in the latest issue of Counterterrorism magazine.

You can read my interview with Michael Scheuer below:

CIA And Navy SEAL Team Six Took Out Osama Bin Laden

Bill Hemmer at FoxNews interviewed Michael Scheuer, the former chief of the CIA's bin Laden Unit and the author of Osama bin Laden, about the secret, elite Navy Special Operations unit, SEAL Team Six.

You can watch the video via the below link:

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4672216/what-is-navy-seal-team-6

The unit's official name is the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Development Group, DEVGRU, but is often referred to by it's former name, Navy SEAL Team Six.

Retired Marine Lt Colonel Oliver North, who has gone out on Special Operations raids, was also interviewed on FoxNews about the Navy SEALs who were on this mission.

You can watch the video and see some footage of an earlier Special Operations raid via the below link:

http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/4672363/oliver-north-on-bin-laden-manhunt

I interviewed Oliver North about American Special Operations for Counterterrorism magazine and you can read the interview via the below link:

http://pauldavisoncrime.blogspot.com/2011/02/american-heroes-in-special-operations-q.html

I also interviewed Michael Scheuer for the upcoming issue of Counterterrorism magazine and you can read about it via the below link:

http://pauldavisoncrime.blogspot.com/2011/02/everything-you-ought-to-know-about.html 

Everything You Ought To Know About Osama Bin Laden: Former CIA Officer Michael Scheuer On America's Public Enemy Number One

I interviewed Michael Scheuer yesterday for the next issue of Counterterrorism magazine.

The veteran former CIA officer, who served as the chief of the Bin Laden Unit (called Alec Station) at the CIA's Counterterrorist Center from 1996 to 1999, has written an interesting and informative book called Osama bin Laden.

Although I don't totally agree with his worldview, I respect his knowledge, his opinion, his service to the country, and his commitment to the security of our country.

I'll post the interview here when the magazine comes out.

You can read more about his book, published by Oxford University Press, via the below link:

http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Politics/ComparativePolitics/MiddleEast/?view=usa&ci=9780199738663

Scheuer appeared on CBS' 60 Minutes television news program in 2004. You can watch a video and read about his appearance via the below link:

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http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/11/12/60minutes/main655407.shtml

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You can also read my earlier post on Michael Scheuer and bin Laden via the below link:

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http://pauldavisoncrime.blogspot.com/2011/02/osama-bin-laden-by-michael-scheuer.html

My Crime Beat Column: Michael Scheuer, The Former Chief of the CIA's Bin Laden Unit, On Bin Laden

I read Michael Scheuer's Osama bin Laden over the weekend.

While I may not agree with Mr. Scheuer's worldview, particularly on noninterventionism and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I thought his book was a knowledgeable and interesting look at Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda, terrorism, and Islamist insurgency.

Know Thy Enemy!

Scheuer, seen in the above photo, is a 22-year-veteran of the CIA and served as an analyst and chief of the bin Laden unit at the CIA's Counterterrorist Center. Today he is a foreign policy critic and the author of Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War On Terror and Through Our Enemies' Eyes.

Scheuer's new book debunks the popular misconceptions about bin laden and al Qadea. Scheuer wrote that Bin Laden is successfully leading an Islamist insurgency. Scheuer believes bin laden is a formidable enemy and his is winning the war against America and the West.

I ventured to Philadelphia's Central Library this past Thursday to hear Michael Scheuer speak about bin Laden, the war on terrorism and the crisis in Egypt. Although I didn't agree with everything he said, I found him to be an interesting and engaging speaker.

He was critical of the efforts of the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations to fight al Qadea. He pointed out that before 9/11, the Clinton administration blew several chances to kill bin Laden and the Bush administration blew the chance to kill bin Laden after 9/11 at Tora Bora during the initial action in Afghanistan.

I plan to interview Michael Scheuer for the upcoming issue of Counterterrorism magazine. 

I heard Michael Scheuer speak before at the Philadelphia Main Library a few years back. Scheuer appeared with Gary Berntsen, the CIA field commander who lead one of the first teams into Afghanistan after 9/11. Berntsen wrote a book about that time called Jawbreaker.

I later spoke to Gary Berntsen and wrote a piece for Counterterrorism magazine, noting Scheuer and Berntsen's talk in Philadelphia .

You can read the piece via the below link:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2014/08/operation-jawbreaker-look-back-at-cias.html