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Jawbreaker: The Attack on Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda: A Personal Account by the CIA's Key Field Commander Paperback – October 24, 2006

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Gary Berntsen (Author)
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Gary Berntsen (Author),
Ralph Pezzullo (Author)
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Ralph Pezzullo (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars 191 customer reviews
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Frequently Bought Together

  • Jawbreaker: The Attack on Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda: A Personal Account by the CIA's Key Field Commander
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  • First In: An Insider's Account of How the CIA Spearheaded the War on Terror in Afghanistan
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  • Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 360 pages
  • Publisher: Broadway Books; Reprint edition (October 24, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0307351068
  • ISBN-13: 978-0307351067
  • Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (191 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #203,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsBottom Line: CIA Managers and Reluctant Generals Let Bin Laden Fly
By Robert David STEELE Vivas HALL OF FAMETOP 1000 REVIEWER on January 30, 2006
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
The bottom line in this book is quite clear: US forces on the ground, consisting of fully integrated clandestine case officers, special operations teams, and selected allied operations officers, were able to find Bin Laden's final lair and track him as he escaped over the course of several days toward the Waziristan sanctuary in Pakistan. Also clear is the reluctance of CIA managers to press the President to order the military to insert a Ranger battalion capable of blocking that escape, and the reluctance of the "all or nothing" US generals to commit troops "behind the lines."

The book would normally lose one star for failing to be current with the varied sources pertinent to the story, including Sy Hersh's excellent story on how Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld gave the Pakistani's an air corridor with which they evacuated close to 3,000 Taliban and Al Qaeda leaders over the course of one night. I believe the author of this book when he says that Bin Laden was not among those so evacuated--Bin Laden's style would be to distrust a Pakistani offer of air evacuation, and to want to lead his men directly over ground to sanctuary.

Before detailing my extensive notes on this book, let me just note that it cannot be fully appreciated if you cannot read between the lines (for myself, as a former clandestine case officer, this is perhaps easier, but I find the whining about redaction from some reviewers to be naive--the redacted sections are veils, to be sure, but helpful in being shown).Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsThis is both an EXCITING book as well as a primer for what must be done.
By Jersey Al on January 1, 2006
Format: Hardcover
Get this book!

Berntsen provides not only an exciting story (must-read, page-turner) as well as a lesson on how to operate in the field. Berntsen was THE field commander who ran the most effective campaign in U.S. history. It was quick and it was fast and it was also, by the way, economical. Berntsen and his team was outnumbered by 1,000 to 1. And yet they were able to improvise and to apply the resources at hand and prevail over an enemy that was sworn to kill as many Americans as possible ... and did exactly that on several occasions (the embassy bombings, the Cole, and finally on 9/11 with the killing of 3,000 Americans at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon). The enemy had planned and practiced and they had defeated the Russians and before them the British. Yet Berntsen describes in detail how "IN LESS THAN TWO MONTHS [my emphasis], approximately 110 Agency officers and 350 SF soldiers on the ground with seventy million dollars and the support of U.S. airpower and the help of our Afghan allies" had done what no one else had ever been able to do.

You feel Berntsen's frustrations when time and again bureaucrats back in the U.S. sabotaged the campaign with their need to "be the boss" even though they ignored the accurate information they were receiving and bitterly resented the successes by people who were actually in contact with the enemy.

The bureaucrats' mantra seemed to be: "Well, just because field operators ask for something, doesn't mean we have to give it to them."

You can see how Berntsen applies some basic principles: thoughtful audacity; speed of action; preparation for action and then rapid improvisation when actual real-life events intrude and conditions change; recognition of when change actually occurs.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsBuy it. READ IT!
By Steve from Milwaukee on December 30, 2005
Format: Hardcover
Looking for an adrenaline rush that makes you think? Get Jawbreaker. Gary Berntsen is a no-bull... kind of guy, who goes into the hottest spots and gets the job done. He was sent into Afghanistan to defeat the Taliban and corner Bin Laden, and that's what he did in record time, leaving the folks in DC and CENTCOM scratching their heads. Even when he had OBL cornered, General Franks and the military couldn't step up to the plate with a measily 800 U.S. Rangers. Sickening.

There's more. Much more. For example, Berntsen was part of a CIA team that was in Afghanistan with plans to kidnap a OBL lieutenant in early 2000, but was pulled out when people in CIA headquarters got nervous. Thanks.

Jawbreaker should be required reading for all Americans over the age of 18. All U.S. Senators and Congressmen should be ordered to read it twice.
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5.0 out of 5 starsRead this book now!
By JBerg-Book lover on December 27, 2005
Format: Hardcover
I picked up this book this morning and read it with straight through with a short break for lunch. It's a riveting account of the war in Afghanistan by the CIA operative who ran the war on the ground, and a fascinating inside look at the war on terrorism. I found it very exciting to read and eye-opening. Most importantlly, I finished Jawbreaker feeling that I understand better than ever the challenges of fighting the war on terrorism.

Gary Berntsen was the man on the ground in Afghanistan. He helped lead the Northern Alliance to victory over the Taliban and had Osama Bin Laden trapped in Tora Bora. He was also part of a CIA team that was in Afghanistan on a mission against al-Qaeda nine months before the attacks on the World Trade Center.

Gary Berntsen and his co-author Ralph Pezzullo have done a remarkable job of capturing the drama and excitement of these operations. I felt like I was there. You'll read about the frustrations of dealing with bureaucrats in Washington, negotiating with the Afghan Northern Alliance, running operations against al-Qaeada and directing a very successful intelligence-driven war in Afghanistan with a small team of men under extremely dangerous circumstances.

Gary Berntsen is a real American hero. Shame on the CIA for trying to block this book. Kudos to Berntsen and Pezzullo for telling a remarkable story in the style of a real-life thriller. I recommend that you drop everything else and read this book!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Excellent

Published 23 days ago by Cal Shopper
1.0 out of 5 starsthen annoying. I also was put off by the writers ...

I misunderstood that this was not the account of the actual seeking out & killing Bin Laden. I found the dedacted parts amusing, then annoying. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Liz ONeill
5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent real account how we screwed up catching Bin Laden

Excellent real account how we screwed up catching Bin Laden, but kudo's to the people from the CIA and Military on the ground.

Published 3 months ago by John LaGuerre
3.0 out of 5 starsThree Stars

Too much of the book was blacked out.

Published 3 months ago by Brad L Onstott
5.0 out of 5 starsgreat story well told

Greaqt story well told

Published 3 months ago by Don
4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

Does what it should.

Published 7 months ago by Steven S.
5.0 out of 5 starsThis book was great, you can see the thread between this book ...

This book was great, you can see the thread between this book and Dalton Fury's book. Both point out what a cluster the whole Afghanistan plan was, if there was a plan. Read more

Published 7 months ago by bilmtn
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat read

Impressed with the account of the CIA jawbreaker team and the mark in history it made. Was always interested in Afghanistan's role in 9/11

Published 9 months ago by Daniel
5.0 out of 5 starsVery descriptive by the lead CIA ground operative in Afghanistan...

This is descriptive and interesting. It describes in detail what happened and tells of the great things the US Armed Forces can (and did) do. Read more

Published 9 months ago by Marl Atkins
5.0 out of 5 starsMagnificent and enlightening

Great history of how we were able to defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan. Our leaders would do well to heed the lessons to be learned from this story!

Published 9 months ago by T Brooke Farnsworth

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