The 9/11 Commission’s staff report from March 23, 2004, said that Bin Ladin’s whereabouts on three occasions could have resulted in military strikes: “In December 1998, February 1999, and May 1999. However, in each case, action was not taken because the intelligence was not sufficiently ‘actionable’–policy makers worried that the strike might miss Bin Ladin, and kill large numbers of innocent civilians or, in one case, members of the UAE [United Arab Emirates] royal family. As the staff statement says, ‘The challenge of providing actionable intelligence could not be overcome before 9/11.’ “ [The 15th of the month used for date sorting purposes only.]
– Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, Without Precedent, Page 159