Chris Heath, GQ
A 50-year-old ex-con named Gary Faulkner is on an endlessly recurring quest to Pakistan—armed with a sword, night-vision goggles and a mission: to capture Osama bin Laden and hand him over to Pakistani authorities.
Omar bin Laden, Vanity Fair
One of Osama bin Laden's many sons writes on life growing up in the house of bin Laden—a father who never missed prayers, spent days secluded in a bedroom with his wife, and could recite the Koran, word-for-word.
Jane Mayer, The New Yorker
Published just two years after the 9/11 attacks, The New Yorker wonders if Osama's trail has gone cold, as U.S. intelligence operatives struggle with the "continuing, nagging question, and huge political embarrassment"—the fruitless hunt for Osama bin Laden.
Peter Bergen, The New Republic
In "The Battle for Tora Bora," Peter Bergen tells the definitive account of one of "the greatest military blunders in recent U.S. history," when Osama bin Laden slipped out of the grasp of U.S. forces and into the mountains of Pakistan.
Greetings, America. My Name is Osama bin Laden.
John Miller, Esquire
The author takes a trip deep into Taliban-controlled Afghanistan for a mountain-top meeting with Osama bin Laden—"some asshole with radical views and a lot of money"—and dozens of his closest followers.
The Most Wanted Face of Terrorism
Kate Zernike and Michael T. Kaufman, The New York Times
An obituary of the man who fought the Soviets out of Afghanistan, orchestrated the 9/11 attacks, and became the face of all evil for much of the western world in the years that followed.
PLUS: Into Thin Air
Evan Thomas, Newsweek
In September, 2007, Newsweek recounts the agonizing tale of the search for high-value targets No. 1 and No. 2—Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri.
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Brian Ries is tech and social media editor at The Daily Beast. He lives in Brooklyn.