in search of al qaeda
homethe journeyinside the tribal areasground zero: pakistandiscussion
mapping the journey
behind the scenes: Photographs of the FRONTLINE team at work, along with some of their lighter moments.

As American forces blasted mountain hideouts in the Tora Bora region of eastern Afghanistan in December 2001, hundreds of Al Qaeda soldiers hastily fled, crossing over unguarded mountain trails and seemingly disappearing into thin air. FRONTLINE asked longtime producer Martin Smith to see what he could find out about these Al Qaeda fighters: where they were hiding, who offered them sanctuary, and whether they were regrouping to plan more attacks.

On Aug. 12, Smith, his co-producer Marcela Gaviria, and cameraman Scott Anger set out on a two-month journey that took them from London to the Gulf of Oman, into the border regions and teeming cities of Pakistan and finally to Saudi Arabia -- bin Laden's homeland -- and Yemen. The documentary "In Search of Al Qaeda" is the story of this journey.

map

Follow the reporters' progress by clicking on an area name on the map -- starting with London -- to explore more detailed maps of the regions they visited, read their e-mail dispatches from the field, see slideshows of photographs they took along the way, and watch video excerpts from the documentary.

(You'll need a browser that supports frames in order to view this map.)



+ Martin Smith

A longtime, award-winning FRONTLINE producer, Martin Smith produced "Hunting bin Laden" -- first broadcast in 1999, then updated and rebroadcast immediately after Sept. 11. His other recent FRONTLINE reports have included "Saudi Time Bomb?," "Looking for Answers," and "Dot Con."

+ Marcela Gaviria

For over a decade Gaviria has field produced documentaries for PBS, BBC, National Geographic, and CBS News. Currently working with Martin Smith on FRONTLINE programs, they co-produced "Medicating Kids" and she field produced two post-9/11 reports: "Looking for Answers" and "Saudi Time Bomb?"

+ Scott Anger

A freelance journalist and independent documentary producer with more than 15 years experience, Scott Anger photographed, field produced and was an additional editor on "In Search of Al Qaeda." He previously teamed up with FRONTLINE producer Martin Smith on "Saudi Time Bomb?" -- a film about the growing tensions between the U.S. and its Arabian ally after Sept. 11. Anger's work has been broadcast on PBS, NPR, BBC, Australian Broadcasting and VOA.


home - introduction - mapping the journey
inside the tribal areas - ground zero: pakistan
discussion - interviews - producer's dispatches - readings & links
producer's chat - teachers' guide - tapes & transcripts - press reaction - credits - privacy policy
FRONTLINE - wgbh - pbs

photograph ©afp/corbis
web site copyright WGBH educational foundation

pakistan: border lands pakistan: border lands pakistan pakistan pakistan saudi arabia yemen gulf of oman london