“Having shorn bin Laden of most of his net worth [by taking possession of his businesses], the Sudanese government thoughtfully chartered him an antique Soviet Tupolev jet. …Two of bin Laden’s young sons, Saad and Omar, were with him, and a couple of bodyguards. Bin Laden left on May 18, 1996 [for Afghanistan]. His family […]
Category: quotes
5/18/1996
“On May 18 [1996], in an Ariana Afghan airliner leased by the Sudanese government, Bin Laden landed in Jalalabad [Afghanistan] with three wives, several children, and scores of aides and assistants. He arrived back in Afghanistan just as a new group was consolidating its hold over much of the country. The Taliban, a previously obscure […]
5/18/1996
On May 18, 1996, in Sudan, bin Laden “boarded a chartered plane with his wives, children, some 150 mujihideen, and a cache of small arms. His stated final destination was Jalalabad, Afghanistan, by way of Pakistan.” – Richard Miniter, Losing Bin Laden, Page 124 […]
5/18/1996
“Since the United States had advanced knowledge that bin Laden was about to leave [Sudan for Afghanistan on May 18, 1996], it had a second chance to nab him while he was in international airspace. The CTC [Counterterrorism Center] drew up an operations plan for such a seizure and presented it to White House officials. […]
5/15/1996
“In May of 1996, Osama bin Laden, his top commanders, and his son Omar fly out of Khartoum [Sudan], to Jalalabad, Afghanistan. Regardless of other media reports, Omar bin Laden says he is the only son that accompanied his father. He also reports that their plane crossed Saudi Arabia, and that their only stop was […]
5/15/1996
According to Sudan’s former Minister of State for Defense, Fatih Erwa, in mid-May 1996, “bin Laden had been contacted by the Sudanese Mukhabarat [intelligence service]… He was told that Sudan was ‘no longer safe for him’ and that his presence was causing the government immense diplomatic and economic problems…” [The 15th of the month used […]
5/15/1996
In May 1996, “The Sudan expels bin Laden because of international pressure by the United States and Saudi Arabia. Bin Laden then moves back to Afghanistan.” [The 15th of the month used for date sorting purposes only.] – “Hunting Bin Laden; Who is Bin Laden & What Does He Want? A Chronology of His Political […]
5/15/1996
In a June 16, 2004, report on the history of al Qaeda, the 9/11 Commission “detailed Bin Ladin’s return to Afghanistan in [May] 1996 and merger with the terrorist group Egyptian Islamic Jihad, estimating that ‘as many as 20,000’ people trained in al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan between May 1996 and 9/11.” [The 15th of […]
5/15/1996
“In May 1996 Osama bin Laden flew into the eastern city of Jalalabad [Afghanistan] with his wives and around 150 supporters on a chartered C-130 transport plane. American strategists had made a huge mistake. By increasing pressure on Sudan they had allowed the most dangerous terrorist financier in the world to move to an impenetrable […]
5/15/1996
“When the CIA ousted [the Soviet’s puppet President of Afghanistan, Mohammad] Najibullah, they walked away and left the door wide open for Osama bin Laden and the Taliban, a group of radical Islamic fundamentalists, to walk right in. Bin Laden arrived by chartered…jet in May 1996, and by the summer of that year the Taliban, […]