8/20/1998

“Tracing al Qaeda through communications intercepts was no longer easy. Once, Osama bin Laden had used a satellite phone for everything from positioning his forces to chatting with his mother in Saudi Arabia. But Osama had abandoned the practice after press leaks revealed that the August [20] 1998 TLAM [Tomahawk Land Attack Missile] strikes after the [August 7, 1998] East Africa embassy bombings had targeted the last known location of this phone. Al Qaeda now used a collection of old Soviet commo gear, some civilian single-sideband short wave sets, a bunch of Motorola CB-type radios, encrypted email routed through anonymous Third World Internet cafes–and, no doubt, old-fashioned runners carrying notes.”

 – Tommy Franks with Malcolm McConnell, American Soldier, Page 212