George Crile III, author of the book on which the film is based, wrote that the mujahideen's victory in Afghanistan ultimately opened a power vacuum for bin Laden: "By the end of 1993, in Afghanistan itself there were no roads, no schools, just a destroyed country—and the United States was washing its hands of any responsibility.
Autor knjige prema kojoj je film snimljen George Crile III. napisao je da je pobjeda mudžahedina u Afganistanu u konačnici širom otvorila vrata bin Ladenu: "Do kraja 1993. godine u Afganistanu nije bilo cesta niti škola - samo uništena zemlja, a SAD su prale ruke od ikakve odgovornosti.