From a December 1998 interview with Osama bin Laden: “TIME: America, the world’s only superpower, has called you Public Enemy Number One. Are you worried? bin Laden: ‘Hostility toward America is a religious duty, and we hope to be rewarded for it by God. To call us Enemy Number One or Two does not hurt […]
Category: quotes
12/15/1998
The following bin Laden ‘Interview with Al Jazeera’ was aired in December 1998: “Q. What do you seek? A. …that our land be liberated from enemies, liberated from the Americans. …we are trying to incite the world Muslim community to free our land and undertake a jihad for God… Q. What are your ultimate objectives, […]
12/15/1998
” ‘The intelligence community had strong indications,’ declared a December [1998] classified memo endorsed by the CIA and circulated at the highest levels of the U.S. government, ‘that bin Laden intends to conduct or sponsor attacks inside the United States.’ “ [The 15th of the month used for date sorting purposes only.] – Steve Coll, […]
12/15/1998
“Late in [December] 1998 the CIA relayed a report to the White House from one of its agents that bin Laden had been tracked to Kandahar [Afghanistan]. The report was that bin Laden would sleep in the Haji Habash house, part of the governor’s residence complex. … ‘Hit him tonight,’ [CIA Islamabad station chief] Gary […]
12/15/1998
“When asked in another interview [that aired on Al Jazeera in December 1998]…whether he was trying to acquire unconventional weapons, bin Laden repeated the Muslim-bomb argument: ‘Israel is stockpiling hundreds of nuclear warheads and atomic bombs. The Christian West controls a vast number of such weapons. Hence, we do not regard this as an accusation, […]
12/15/1998
The 9/11 Commission’s staff report from March 23, 2004, said that Bin Ladin’s whereabouts on three occasions could have resulted in military strikes: “In December 1998, February 1999, and May 1999. However, in each case, action was not taken because the intelligence was not sufficiently ‘actionable’–policy makers worried that the strike might miss Bin Ladin, […]
12/15/1998
Regarding a connection between Al Qaeda and Iraq, “One of the most persistent assertions, again arising from information provided by [Ahmed] Chalabi’s Iraqi National Congress, is that [Iraq’s ambassador to Turkey] Mr. [Faruk al-] Hijazi was dispatched by Hussein in [December] 1998 to meet with Osama bin Laden and offer him and his supporters in […]
12/15/1998
” ‘The British and the American people loudly declared their support for their leaders’ decision to attack Iraq,’ bin Laden announced in December 1998 in the Arab newspaper Asharq al Awsat. According to his logic, this made it imperative that all Muslims ‘confront, fight and kill’ Britons and Americans.” [The 15th of the month used […]
12/15/1998
“On January 14, 1999, ABC News reported that three intelligence agencies believed that Saddam had offered asylum to bin Laden. ‘Intelligence sources say bin Laden’s long relationship with the Iraqis began as he helped Sudan’s fundamentalist government in their efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction. …ABC News has learned that in December [1998], an […]
12/15/1998
“In December 1998, [UNSCOM (UN Special Commission on Iraq) chairman] Richard Butler submitted a controversial report to the [UN] Security Council concluding that Iraq had not in fact provided the full cooperation it had promised. In anticipation of U.S./UK bombings, he ordered the withdrawal of UNSCOM staff engaged in the inspection effort. They were evacuated […]