According to the staff statement, ‘Overview of the Enemy,’ delivered to the 9/11 Commission on June 16, 2004: “Bin Ladin was a ‘significant player’ among the Arabs who traveled to Afghanistan to resist Soviet occupation in the 1980s. …’following the defeat of the Soviets in the late 1980s, Bin Ladin formed an organization called *The […]
Category: quotes
6/16/2004
In a report on the history of al Qaeda from June 16, 2004, the 9/11 Commission discussed al Qaeda’s financing: ” ‘there is no convincing evidence that any government financially supported al Qaeda before 9/11.’ However, ‘al Qaeda found fertile fundraising ground in the Kingdom [Saudi Arabia], where extreme religious views are common and charitable […]
6/16/2004
On June 16, 2004, the 9/11 Commission reported on the then-current status of al Qaeda: ” ‘…the organization is far more decentralized,’ as its leadership has dispersed from Afghanistan, and individual cells have taken on far more authority. The gravest threat comes from potentially catastrophic attacks: ‘Al Qaeda remains extremely interested in conducting chemical, biological, […]
6/16/2004
The 9/11 Commission hearing on June 16, 2004 featured testimony from ‘Dr. K,’ a covert CIA operative. He said: ” ‘Even after Bin Ladin and al Qaeda are defeated, the global jihadist movement will continue to exist. That movement may again produce another Bin Ladin or al Qaeda as long as there are individuals who […]
6/16/2004
John Pistole, the FBI’s Executive Assistant Director for Counterintelligence and Counterterrorism, testified at the June 16, 2004 9/11 Commission hearing. When asked if there were al Qaeda cells within the U.S., he replied: ” ‘Absolutely,’ saying that such cells needed to be understood as a combination of possible operatives and ‘facilitators…fund-raisers, [and] recruiters.’ ” – […]
6/16/2004
According to the report from the 9/11 Commission hearing on June 16, 2004, the 9/11 plot by al Qaeda: ” ‘painted a picture of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed as the mastermind and chief operative, and Bin Ladin as providing leadership and institutional support.’ …’Bin Ladin met with [his deputy, Mohammed] Atef to discuss the targets for […]
6/16/2004
In the 9/11 Commission hearing on June 16, 2004, the motivation of the terrorists was questioned. FBI Supervisory Special Agent James Fitzgerald said: ” ‘I believe they feel a sense of outrage against the United States. They identify with the Palestinian problem, they identify with people who oppose repressive regimes, and I believe they tend […]
6/15/2004
“The CPA [Coalition Provisional Authority] controlled about $23 billion in Iraqi revenues and assets from the May 2003 to June 2004 period. It allocated about $7 billion from these funds for reconstruction efforts.” [The 15th of the month used for date sorting purposes only.] – Ali A. Allawi, The Occupation of Iraq, Page 254 […]
6/15/2004
“The electoral law was embodied in another CPA [Coalition Provisional Authority] order, Order 96, issued on 15 June, 2004. The key stipulation of the law was that Iraq would be treated as one electoral district rather than a series of constituencies or regionally based or provincially based electoral districts, to elect 275 members of a […]
6/15/2004
In June 2004, “the U.S. Government Accountability Office issued a report that said the State Department lacked a full operational strategy for Afghanistan or ‘an annual consolidated budget’ that would show all U.S. assistance to the country. ‘Expenditure data was not available and consequently, it is difficult to determine the extent to which U.S. assistance […]