Al-Qaeda Videos - The Documentary Network

The 9/11 Decade: The Image War

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 05:58:44 +0000

9/11: It was a PR stunt which killed thousands and launched a propaganda war that has, so far, lasted a decade. Since then, the US and al-Qaeda have competed furiously to win "hearts and minds" with elaborate media strategies. Spin, threats, lies, censorship, the killing of journalists; how far has each side been prepared to go to win the propaganda war? In the "war on terror" the exploitation of images was to become a matter of life and death, as both the US and al-Qaeda bombarded the world with media designed to win people over to their side. It started with 9/11 itself: an act of terror staged as a global media event and the catalyst for a decade of propaganda war. But al-Qaeda's canny use of 9/11 imagery, which included saving footage of the attackers for release at a later date so as to maximise publicity, gave way to serious errors in judgement as the group's use of beheadings not only terrorised viewers but also alienated one-time sympathisers. The US, for its part, did not perform any better with Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib becoming prime examples of how to lose a war. Source: Aljazeera

I knew Bin Laden

Documentary.net staff — Sat, 28 May 2011 08:42:38 +0000

On May 2, 2011, Barack Obama, the US president, announced that Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda leader, was shot dead in a raid by US special forces on a compound about 60km north of Islamabad, Pakistan's capital. "When he looked me in the eyes to answer my questions, he sounded like an old uncle telling a story." John Miller, former ABC News reporter The death of bin Laden ends a ten-year manhunt for the world's most wanted man. Before his death, the last known sighting of bin Laden by anyone other than his very close entourage was in late 2001 - as he prepared to flee his stronghold in Afghanistan. However, in subsequent years he issued several video and audio messages. How did Bin Laden develop his political agenda? And how did this Saudi-born son of a rich construction magnate - who joined guerrillas in Afghanistan fighting the Soviet Union - emerge to become one of the most feared men in the world? Ahmad Zaidan, Al Jazeera Arabic's Islamabad correspondent, interviews a range of people including Taliban commandos, former Mujahideen leaders, Pakistani officials, and journalists who all relate their memories of and insights into the al-Qaeda leader. He speaks to people who are able to debunk some of the myths and describe some of the characteristics of the man who was Osama bin Laden - a man denounced by enemies as a religious fanatic and a terrorist and praised by supporters as a leader fighting Western aggression and subservient Arab regimes.

Osama Bin Laden Killed in US-Operation in Pakistan

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 02 May 2011 05:32:38 +0000

Osama bin Laden has been killed in a American operation in Pakistan. Short film on the (former) most wanted terrorist worldwide.