In an interview in December 1998, Osama bin Laden said: ” ‘There are two parties to the conflict: World Christianity, which is allied with Jews and Zionism, led by the United States, Britain, and Israel. The second party is the Islamic world. In such a conflict, it is unacceptable to see the first party mount […]
Category: quotes
12/15/1998
From a December 1998 interview with Osama bin Laden: “TIME: The U.S. says you are trying to acquire chemical and nuclear weapons. How would you use these? bin Laden: ‘Acquiring weapons for the defense of Muslims is a religious duty. If I have indeed acquired these weapons, then I thank God for enabling me to […]
12/15/1998
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 […]
12/8/1998
On December 8, 1998, “the toughest UN Security Council Resolution on Afghanistan to date [Resolution 1214]… threatened unspecified sanctions against the Taliban for harboring international terrorists, violating human rights, promoting drugs trafficking and refusing to accept a cease-fire. ‘Afghanistan-based terrorism has become a plague,’ said US envoy Nancy Soderberg. Pakistan was the only country that […]
12/8/1998
In a speech on December 8, 1998, National Security Advisor Sandy Berger said: ” ‘Through constant confrontation, our policy of containing Iraq has been successful. But that does not mean that by itself it is sustainable over the long run.’ Noting the many costs of containing Saddam and the concern that with time international support […]
12/7/1998
“In a [December 7] 1998 article for the New Republic, [former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Paul] Wolfowitz wrote, ‘Toppling Saddam is the only outcome that can satisfy the vital U.S. interest in a stable and secure Gulf region, because, to a degree unique among contemporary tyrannies, the Iraqi regime is Saddam Hussein. …The vast […]
12/4/1998
Demonstrating a lack of communication amongst U.S. intelligence agencies, the 9/11 Commission quoted from a December 4, 1998, directive by Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet: ” ‘We are at war [with al Qaeda]. I want no resources or people spared in this effort, either inside the CIA or the [Intelligence] Community.’ …But the [9/11 […]
12/4/1998
The 9/11 Commission Report said a Presidential Daily Brief for President Bill Clinton, dated December 4, 1998, suggested ” ‘Bin Ladin and his allies are preparing for attacks in the US, including an aircraft hijacking to obtain the release of Shaykh ‘Umar ‘Abd al-Rahman, Ramzi Yousef, and Muhammad Sadiq ‘Awda. …Some members of the Bin […]
12/4/1998
On December 4, 1998, President Bill Clinton received a PDB (President’s Daily Brief) with the subject: “Bin Ladin Preparing to Hijack US Aircraft and Other Attacks.” – 9/11 Commission, The 9/11 Commission Report, Page 128 […]
12/4/1998
A President’s Daily Briefing (PDB) for President Bill Clinton on December 4, 1998, dealt with a possible al Qaeda plan to hijack a plane. This report “brought the focus back to more traditional hostage taking; it reported Bin Ladin’s involvement in planning a hijack operation to free prisoners such as the ‘Blind Sheikh,’ Omar Abdel […]