“According to Western intelligence sources, which vary quite alarmingly in their estimates, between 10,000 and 110,000 recruits graduated from Al Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan between 1989 and October 2001.” [The 15th of the month used for date sorting purposes only.] – Rohan Gunaratna, Inside al Qaeda, Page 8 […]
10/15/2001
On October 15, 2001, “Nicolò Pollari, the newly appointed chief of SISMI [Italy’s national military intelligence agency], made his first visit to his counterparts in the CIA in the United States. Under pressure from conservative Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi to turn over information that would be useful for America’s Iraq war policy, Pollari net […]
10/15/2001
Osama bin Laden was interviewed by Al Jazeera in October 2001. They never broadcast the results, but CNN did in January 2002. Bin Laden “was quoted as saying, ‘We will work to continue this battle…until victory or until we meet God before that occurs.’ “ [The 15th of the month used for date sorting purposes […]
10/15/2001
On October 15, 2001, “aides to Senator Tom Daschle, the South Dakota Democrat who had become majority leader six months earlier, opened a second letter with anthrax. The police shut down the Capitol mail delivery system and suspended all public tours as the FBI investigated whether bin Laden or a deranged American was behind the […]
10/15/2001
Former CIA Director George Tenet wrote: “Tribal leaders [in Afghanistan] were asked, ‘Can we count on you to help drive al-Qa’ida and their Taliban protectors out of Afghanistan?’ If the answer was yes, food, medical supplies, military equipment and weapons would soon be air-dropped to them. Between mid-October and mid-December 2001, U.S. aircraft delivered 1.69 […]
10/15/2001
In October 2001, “Jamil Qasim Saed Mohammed, a Yemeni microbiology student studying at Karachi University [Pakistan], and alleged to be a serious al-Qaeda asset, was arrested by Pakistan’s ISI [Inter-Services Intelligence] in connection with the bombing of the [USS] Cole and handed over, under great secrecy, to U.S. authorities.” [The 15th of the month used […]
10/15/2001
In an interview conducted by Al Jazeera during October 2001, Osama bin Laden said: ” ‘Our goal is for our nation to unite in the face of the Christian Crusade. This is the fiercest battle. Muslims have never faced anything bigger than this. [President] Bush said it in his own words: *crusade.* When Bush says […]
10/15/2001
During a meeting with Vice President Dick Cheney in October 2001, former National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft said, in reference to the 9/11 attacks: ‘ “My God, it emerged from Afghanistan…just about the most backward, forgotten country on the planet. It shows how little we know about where the threats are coming from.’ “ [The […]
10/15/2001
In a mid-October 2001 interview with Al Jazeera, Osama bin Laden justified the killing of innocent civilians: “AL-JAZEERA CORRESPONDENT: How about the Twin Towers? BIN LADEN: The towers are an economic power and not a children’s school. Those that were there are men that supported the biggest economic power in the world. They have to […]
10/15/2001
“The first sketchy report on the Iraq-Niger uranium sale was cabled by SISMI [Italy’s national military intelligence agency] to the CIA’s operations directorate on October 15, 2001. Initially, American intelligence analysts were not impressed by the report. CIA, Energy Department, and DIA [Defense Intelligence Agency] analysts all considered the allegation ‘possible,’ though short on details. […]