“On May 13 [2011], the Pakistani Taliban took revenge for the death of Bin Laden by carrying out a double suicide attack at an FC [Frontier Corps] training camp in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province that killed 80 cadets and wounded 140.” – Ahmed Rashid, Pakistan on the Brink, Page 178 […]
Category: quotes
5/13/2011
In Pakistan, “A pair of Taliban suicide bombers attacked paramilitary police recruits eagerly heading home for a break after months of training, killing 80 people Friday [May 13, 2011] in the first act of retaliation for the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden. In claiming responsibility, the al-Qaida linked militant group cited anger at […]
5/12/2011
“Waterboarding and other harsh interrogation techniques were not a factor in tracking down Osama bin Laden, a leading Republican senator [John McCain] insisted Thursday [May 12, 2011]. …In an impassioned speech on the Senate floor, the Arizona Republican said former Attorney General Michael Mukasey and others who back those tactics were wrong to claim that […]
5/12/2011
Senator John McCain (R-AZ) claimed that enhanced interrogation techniques did not lead to the tracking of Osama bin Laden. “In a statement, [former Attorney General Michael] Mukasey said McCain ‘is simply incorrect,’ on the bid Laden leads and interrogation. Mukasey said [9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh] Mohammed disclosed the nickname of the courier [of bin Laden] […]
5/12/2011
Senator John “McCain [R-AZ] said he opposes waterboarding, a technique that simulates drowning, and any form of torture tactics. He said that they could be used against Americans and that their use damages the nation’s character and reputation. ‘I do not believe they are necessary to our success in our war against terrorists, as the […]
5/11/2011
From a Financial Times article on May 11, 2011: “According to Robert Blackwill, a former Republican U.S. ambassador to India, ‘the Pakistani military is not an ally, not a partner, not a friend of the US.’ “ – Ahmed Rashid, Pakistan on the Brink, Page 176 […]
5/6/2011
“On May 6th [2011], Al Qaeda confirmed bin Laden’s death and released a statement congratulating ‘the Islamic nation’ on ‘the martyrdom of its good son Osama.’ The authors promised Americans that ‘their joy will turn to sorrow and their tears will mix with blood.’ ” – Nicholas Schmidle, “Getting Bin Laden,” The New Yorker, Aug. […]
5/6/2011
“Pakistan’s security establishment has long been accused of playing a double game: taking billions in U.S. aid while secretly backing select jihadi militants in Afghanistan and in Pakistan’s tribal region. Even al-Qaeda types were expected to play ball. Says the Arab woman formerly connected to al-Qaeda: ‘There was an understanding with the Pakistani army. We […]
5/6/2011
“CIA Director Leon Panetta said this week [early May 2011] that ‘either [the Pakistanis] were involved [in hiding bin Laden] or incompetent. Neither is a good place to be.’ ” – Tim McGirk, “The Real Housewife of Abbottabad: What bin Laden’s Spouse Knows,” Time, May 6, 2011 […]
5/6/2011
The hunt for bin Laden at “Tora Bora [Afghanistan] taught both sides important lessons. The Americans learned, as a top intelligence official said, ‘that it was a bad idea to *outsource* something as important as capturing or killing bin Laden.’ Mutual mistrust kept the Pakistani military and Afghan fighters from embracing the Americans’ search for […]