Cairo (CNN) -- A documentary filmmaker who followed Osama bin Laden's jihad against the Soviets in the mountains of Afghanistan during the 1980s said he once warned the world's most-wanted terrorist against attacking civilians. Esam Daraz's films and books documented the birth of bin Laden's al Qaeda terror organization, and they ultimately helped cultivate bin Laden's international notoriety and inspire the jihadist movement of the 1980s. The former Egyptian Intelligence army officer established himself as an acclaimed filmmaker after producing 30 documentary films in Egypt through his own production company founded in 1978. "Afghanistan was the hotspot in 1980s so I decided to document the brutal Soviet attacks on the Muslims. I embedded with many of the leading Arab fighters on the battlefield and they trusted me so they led me to bin Laden. I followed his trail from 1987 until 1991, " Daraz explained reminiscing as he went through his archive of footage stored in his Cairo studio.
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Esam Daraz followed bin Laden's jihad against the Soviets
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His films helped cultivate bin Laden's notoriety
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He agrees with Obama that photos of bin Laden's corpse should not be released
Daraz filmed bin laden and his 120 @placeholder fighters in the first training camp located amid the rugged terrain of Afghanistan.
Daraz claims that his film inspired thousands of @placeholder youth to join bin Laden's small group of fighters.