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, […]
12/8/1998
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 […]
12/8/1998
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 […]
12/7/1998
“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
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 […]
12/4/1998
“On December 4, 1998, [CIA Director George] Tenet wrote a memo to his senior deputies at Langley [Virginia] headquarters. ‘We must now enter a new phase in our efforts against bin Laden,’ Tenet declared. ‘Our work to date has been remarkable and in some instances heroic; yet each day we all acknowledge that retaliation is […]