Osama Bin Laden's former bodyguard scans the war-torn terrain!
As Director Laura Poitras (My Country My Country) was in the throes of a capturing footage in Yemen for a documentary she was piecing together - Abu Jandal (Osama Bin Laden's former bodyguard) cautioned associates in a bull session not to speak too freely.
"Does she have interpreters," one quizzed.
"Yes," was the solemn answer.
"But, she doesn't have the password," Jamal joked.
At this juncture in the insightful intriguing documentary - that is aptly titled "The Oath" - it becomes apparent that there are "secrets" (pertaining to the identities of terrorists and other sensitive information related to their whereabouts ) yet to be uncovered post 9/11.
In her documentary - to be released in a limited run on Friday in New York City - Ms. Poitras attempts to put together pieces of a complex puzzle.
Originally, the highly-competent filmmaker, set her sights on a production that would focus on the release of an inmate held from Guantanamo Bay, their journey home after the ordeal, and a conclusion about the aftermath.
"Themes of family, guilt, betrayal, regret, loyalty, absence etc. are not typical things that come to mind when we imagine a film about the Al-Qaeda and Guantanamo, so the story compelled me. It was a way to confront traumatic events of the past nine years."
Her subject would be Salim Hamdan, a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay, who was the first man to face the controversial military tribunals.
In Yemen, the focus shifted - however - when Poitras had a chance meeting Bin Laden's former bodyguard, Abu Jandal.
Abu Jandal met Salim Hamdan in 1996 outside a mosque in Yemen while looking for men to join him for jihad in Tajikistan.
Salim was taken with Jandal's charismatic personality and they became fast friends.
The two journied to Afghanistan and were invited by to meet Osama Bin Laden.
Subsequently, Abu became Bin Laden's personal bodyguard and guest-house emir.
It should be noted, that Osama bestowed upon Abu the name Jandal, which roughly translates to the "bringer of death".
Janal reveals in the probing documentary that he was in possession of a special gun to be used to kill Osama Bin Laden in the event they were ever under siege and it was apparent that the fugitive Al-Qaeda leader would not escape alive.
Salim Hamdan became Osama's chauffeur.
For me, some of the most fascinating footage consisted of scenes shot at Hamdan's Guantanamo Bay tribunal, which zeroed in on the issue of the constitutionality of the legal proceedings from a global perspective.
"These proceedings hold up to all of the standards of Nuremberg," one Military Official asserted in so many words to a handful of critics at one press conference.
It should be noted for the record, that the U.S. Supreme Court - in spite of the Government's staunch stance - ruled in favor of Hamdan in 2006 in the landmark case (Hamdan v. Rumsfeld).
In addition to the segments used to propel the Jandal story forward, Poitras has interspersed a few poignant moments caught on film among the citizens of the war-torn country.
"If the United States and other western nations hope to confront and contain the threat of Al-Qaeda, we must understand its motivations and internal divisions. To do that requires first seeing Islamic radicals as real people - subject to the human condition - rather than apart from it. To acknowledge that humanity is not a justification of their acts,but rather an acceptance of an uncomfortable reality."
"The world will be grappling with the Twin Towers Tragedies of 9/11 and America's reaction to the attack for generations to come. The "Oath" is an effort to document and shine light on this historical moment."
Director Laura Poitras
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