On October 31, 1998, “the U.S. Congress–concerned that the Iraqi threat was growing, while the world’s resolve to ‘contain’ Saddam was weakening–passed the Iraq Liberation Act, which called for regime change in Baghdad: ‘It should be the policy of the United States to support efforts to remove the regime headed by Saddam Hussein from power […]
10/23/1998
“…the 18th convention of the Islamic Group of Pakistan (Al-Jama’ah al-Islamiyyah), held in Islamabad between 23 and 25 October 1998 was attended by delegates from more than thirty other militant Islamic organizations. ‘All of them spoke about their countries, their movements and the need to unify the message of the Muslims,’ according to Ibrahim Ghosheh, […]
10/19/1998
On October 19, 1998, “U.S. ambassador to Pakistan William Milam reports that [Taliban leader Mullah] Omar is ‘strongly committed’ to bin Laden. He says it is ‘questionable’ whether any U.S. or Saudi effort can influence Omar’s decisions and uncertain whether Pakistan can.” – Roy Gutman, How We Missed the Story, Page 160 […]
10/19/1998
In an October 19, 1998, US News & World Report article, former Deputy Director of Operations at the U.S. State Department’s Office of Counterterrorism Dick Gannon said: ” ‘We’ve got information about who’s backing bin Laden, and in a lot of cases it goes back to the [Saudi] royal family… There are certain factions of […]
10/15/1998
“…in October 1998, using data from al-Qaeda intelligence officers, Taleban security apprehended a Saudi and three Pakistanis who were plotting to kill ‘the wealthy Saudi national Osama bin Ladin.’ The Taleban executed the Saudi; it is not clear what happened to the Pakistanis.” [The 15th of the month used for date sorting purposes only.] – […]
10/15/1998
“In a message [Northern Alliance leader Ahmed Shah Massoud’s emissary Abdullah] Abdullah read to a Senate hearing in October 1998, Massoud said that southern Central Asia was in turmoil: ‘Some countries are on the brink of war… Ethnic and religiously motivated mass murders and forced displacements are taking place, and the most basic human and […]
10/15/1998
“Unfortunately, news reports after the East Africa [embassy] bombings [on August 7, 1998] revealed that NSA [National Security Agency] was listening to bin Laden’s phone conversations. Two months later, in October 1998, bin Laden ceased using the satellite telephone, depriving NSA and the CIA of their best source of information about what bin Laden and […]
10/15/1998
“Congress’s impatience with his [Saddam’s] continued existence had led to the adoption in [October] 1998 of the Iraq Liberation Act, which authorized funds for active Iraqi opposition forces, most of them in exile, and set ‘regime change’ as an official U.S. goal. The act, and a more muscular policy toward Iraq in general, had been […]
10/15/1998
In an October 1998 Panorama documentary series airing on BBC Television titled ‘Osama bin Laden,’ Sudanese leader Hassan al-Turabi said: ” ‘They [Islamic militants] have developed Osama bin Laden as a champion, as a symbol of Islam for all young people, in the whole Muslim world… Even if they [the United States] reach him and […]
10/15/1998
“The focus on Iraq by senior Bush officials predated the administration. [Future Bush Administration members] Paul Wolfowitz, Doug Feith, and Richard Perle were among eighteen people who had signed a public letter from a group they named, ‘The Project for the New American Century’ calling for Saddam’s ouster. It is often forgotten, but regime change […]