Gary Schroen
Encyclopedia
Gary C. Schroen is a former Central Intelligence Agency
field officer who was in charge of the initial CIA incursion into Afghanistan
in September 2001 to topple the Taliban regime and to destroy Al Qaeda.
Schroen worked with the Agency for over 30 years, rising from case officer to Deputy Chief, Near East Division, Directorate of Operations in 1999, a post he held through 2001. During his career, Schroen served in numerous posts, including Station Chief
in Kabul
, Afghanistan (but working out of Pakistan
) in the late 1980s. From 1992-1994, Schroen worked at CIA headquarters in Langley
, Virginia
, controlling Iran
ian operations. Schroen was the chief of station in Islamabad
, Pakistan from 1996 until mid-1999. During this period, he directed CIA operations to find and capture Osama bin Laden
, and began renewing relationships with the Mujahideen
commanders who fought the Soviets in the Soviet-Afghan War.
Schroen's experiences in Afghanistan prior to September 11 were chronicled in Steve Coll
's Pulitzer Prize winning book, Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, From the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001. As a result of his experience working with the Northern Alliance during the course of his career, Schroen developed a friendship with Northern Alliance commander General Ahmad Shah Massoud.
Although he planned to retire, Schroen was recalled after the September 11th attacks to lead a CIA team into Afghanistan. The seven-officer team, which included renowned covert operative Billy Waugh
, flew into Afghanistan on September 26, and began securing support among the Northern Alliance shortly before the arrival of US Army Special Forces ODA 555. He has since written the book First In, illustrating his Afghan experiences. Schroen was one of several inspirations for The Path to 9/11 character CIA Operative "Kirk", who writers claimed was a compilation based on several actual people.
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
field officer who was in charge of the initial CIA incursion into Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
in September 2001 to topple the Taliban regime and to destroy Al Qaeda.
Schroen worked with the Agency for over 30 years, rising from case officer to Deputy Chief, Near East Division, Directorate of Operations in 1999, a post he held through 2001. During his career, Schroen served in numerous posts, including Station Chief
Station Chief
Station Chief is a term for certain officials who are appointed as chief of a 'station', i.e. a stationary post, of various natures.-Colonial:...
in Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
, Afghanistan (but working out of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
) in the late 1980s. From 1992-1994, Schroen worked at CIA headquarters in Langley
Langley, Virginia
Langley is an unincorporated community in the census-designated place of McLean in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States.The community was essentially absorbed into McLean many years ago, although there is still a Langley High School...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, controlling Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian operations. Schroen was the chief of station in Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
, Pakistan from 1996 until mid-1999. During this period, he directed CIA operations to find and capture Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
, and began renewing relationships with the Mujahideen
Mujahideen
Mujahideen are Muslims who struggle in the path of God. The word is from the same Arabic triliteral as jihad .Mujahideen is also transliterated from Arabic as mujahedin, mujahedeen, mudžahedin, mudžahidin, mujahidīn, mujaheddīn and more.-Origin of the concept:The beginnings of Jihad are traced...
commanders who fought the Soviets in the Soviet-Afghan War.
Schroen's experiences in Afghanistan prior to September 11 were chronicled in Steve Coll
Steve Coll
Steve Coll is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist and writer. Coll is currently president and CEO of the New America Foundation. Prior to assuming that post on September 17, 2007, Coll was a staff writer for The New Yorker, and served as managing editor of The Washington Post from 1998 to...
's Pulitzer Prize winning book, Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, From the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001. As a result of his experience working with the Northern Alliance during the course of his career, Schroen developed a friendship with Northern Alliance commander General Ahmad Shah Massoud.
Although he planned to retire, Schroen was recalled after the September 11th attacks to lead a CIA team into Afghanistan. The seven-officer team, which included renowned covert operative Billy Waugh
Billy Waugh
Sergeant Major William "Billy" Waugh , is a highly decorated American Special Forces soldier and a Central Intelligence Agency Paramilitary Operations Officer who served in the United States military and CIA special operations for more than fifty years. SGM Waugh served in the U.S...
, flew into Afghanistan on September 26, and began securing support among the Northern Alliance shortly before the arrival of US Army Special Forces ODA 555. He has since written the book First In, illustrating his Afghan experiences. Schroen was one of several inspirations for The Path to 9/11 character CIA Operative "Kirk", who writers claimed was a compilation based on several actual people.
See also
- Gary BerntsenGary BerntsenGary Berntsen is a decorated former Central Intelligence Agency career officer who served in the Directorate of Operations between October 1982 and June 2005...
- Cofer BlackCofer BlackJoseph Cofer Black is an American counter-terrorism expert and consultant. He had a 28-year career in the Directorate of Operations at the Central Intelligence Agency, culminating in his appointment as Director of the CIA's Counterterrorist Center in June 1999...
- Operation CycloneOperation CycloneOperation Cyclone was the code name for the United States Central Intelligence Agency program to arm, train, and finance the Afghan mujahideen during the Soviet war in Afghanistan, 1979 to 1989...
- Charlie Wilson's WarCharlie Wilson's WarCharlie Wilson's War is a 2007 American biographical comedy drama film recounting the true story of U.S. Congressman Charlie Wilson who partnered with "bare knuckle attitude" CIA operative Gust Avrakotos to launch Operation Cyclone, a program to organize and support the Afghan mujahideen in their...
- War in Afghanistan (2001–present)War in Afghanistan (2001–present)The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
- 2001 in Afghanistan