A Must See...

Last night I caught the last half hour or so of "In the Footsteps of bin Laden" on CNN hosted by Christiane Amanpour, and all I can say is that this is a must see. The next few weeks there will be many specials on television in regards to 9/11 and bin Laden, but this is a good one. I know it is going to be replayed over the weekend at 7 p.m. both nights. I suggest anyone interested watch it.

I have never been the biggest fan of Amanpour, however, she hits a grand slam with this one. I have read many books and articles on this subject, and generally, it is the same regurgitated information. However, this special taught me a great deal of things I did not know. Keep in mind I only saw the last half hour and I learned a great deal. So I can only imagine what I will get from the first part of the show.

Two things I came away with were how popular Usama bin Laden still is in places such as Pakistan. Also, how he definitely is still in charge of his terrorist network.

The show has several guests who interviewed bin Laden in the 90s as well as within the last couple of years. Very interesting!

I found it interesting the way they set the stage for how things led up to the 9/11 attacks and how cagey bin Laden is. This was exemplified by the assassination of Northern Alliance leader and a legend in Afghanistan lore, Ahmed Shah Massoud. This is something that is not mentioned very much in America. But on September 9, 2001, bin Laden had two men posing as a cameraman and reporter from a television station go and "interview" Massoud. When they arrived the cameraman detonated an explosive that was hidden inside his camera, killing himself and Massoud. The alleged reporter was killed by Massoud's bodyguards.

Bin Laden's logic behind this was to appease the Taliban since he knew that in 48 hours he would need their support. The show actually interviews the wife of the suicide bomber.

Well, I don't want to give it all away. But I think if you watch this special you will be very intrigued. I must forewarn you that some of the information the show closes with is quite chilling.