“In a secret CIA prison in Eastern Europe years ago, al-Qaida’s No. 3 leader, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, gave authorities the nicknames of several of bin Laden’s couriers, four former U.S. intelligence officials said. Those names were among thousands of leads the CIA was pursuing. One man became a particular interest for the agency when another […]
Category: quotes
5/2/2011
“Osama bin Laden was buried at sea from the deck of a U.S. aircraft carrier because there was no alternative to bury him on land within the 24 hours required by Islamic law, President Barack Obama’s homeland security and counterterrorism adviser said Monday [May 2, 2011]. ‘The disposal of–the burial of bin Laden’s remains was […]
5/2/2011
In the hunt for bin Laden, “A new lead emerged when post-9/11 detainees gave investigators a glimpse into the al Qaeda chief’s inner circle, the [senior Obama Administration] official said. During questioning, detainees repeatedly mentioned the nickname of a man they said was one of the few couriers bin Laden trusted. …Investigators knew the courier–a […]
5/2/2011
“As intelligence officials disclosed the trail of evidence that led to the compound in Pakistan where Bin Laden was hiding, a chorus of Bush administration officials claimed vindication for their policy of ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ like waterboarding. Among them was John Yoo, a former Justice Department official who wrote secret legal memorandums justifying brutal interrogations. […]
5/2/2011
“Asked if harsh interrogation techniques at Guantanamo Bay played a role in obtaining intelligence on bin Laden’s whereabouts, [Former Defense Secretary Donald] Rumsfeld declares: ‘First of all, no one was waterboarded at Guantanamo Bay. That’s a myth that’s been perpetrated around the country by critics. The United States Department of Defense did not do waterboarding […]
5/2/2011
“Leon Panetta, the CIA chief, said that Pakistan had not been prewarned of the raid [that killed Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011] because ‘it was decided that any effort to work with the Pakistanis could jeopardize the mission–they might alert the targets.’ ” – Ahmed Rashid, Pakistan on the Brink, Page 8 […]
5/2/2011
Following the death of Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011, “A rash of statements from world leaders and the international media held the Pakistan Army either totally culpable in hiding Bin Laden or totally incompetent in not discovering his whereabouts, leading to further public outrage and despair. For years, President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan […]
5/2/2011
Following the death of Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011, journalist Fareed Zakaria said: ” ‘…a number of people are saying that this does not mean that al Qaeda has been destroyed. Some argue that the organization may, in fact, be thriving. …I understand why officials have to say this. They want to be […]
5/2/2011
“Osama bin Laden, mastermind of the 11 September 2001 attacks and the world’s most wanted man, has been killed in a US operation in north-western Pakistan, [President] Barack Obama has announced. ‘Justice has been done,’ the US president said in a statement that America has been waiting a decade to hear. A US official said […]
5/2/2011
Regarding the raid that killed Osama bin Laden: “[President Barack] Obama tapped two dozen members of the Navy’s elite SEAL Team Six to carry out a raid with surgical accuracy. Before dawn Monday morning [May 2, 2011], a pair of helicopters left Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan. The choppers entered Pakistani airspace using sophisticated technology intended […]