In his testimony to the Joint Inquiry Committee on September 26, 2002, CIA Counterterrorist Center Director Cofer Black said: ” ‘Frankly, from an intelligence perspective, in order to have a fighting chance to protect this country from al Qaeda, we needed to attack the Afghan terrorist sanctuary protected by the Taliban. CIA appreciated this all too well. That is also why on 11 September we were ready and prepared to be the first boots on the ground.’ ”
– Steve Coll, Ghost Wars, Page 649