Jeremy Scahill - Dirty Wars

454 ordered John Brennan:Ibid., p. 261.

454 “The hardware was filled”:Ibid., pp. 262–263.

454 “vital details of Awlaki’s whereabouts”:Margaret Coker, Adam Entous, and Julian E. Barnes, “Drone Targets Yemeni Cleric,” Wall Street Journal, May 7, 2011.

454 Dragon Spear aircraft:Martha Raddatz, “US Missiles Missed Awlaki by Inches in Yemen,” ABCNews.go.com, July 19, 2011. Unless otherwise noted, details of the military strikes on May 5, 2011, are from this article.

455 “Speed up!”:Unless otherwise noted, on-the-ground details of this strike are based on the essay by Shaykh Harith al Nadari, “My Story with al-Awlaki,” Inspire 9 (winter 2012), released May 2012.

455 al Harad brothers:Gregory D. Johnsen, The Last Refuge: Yemen, Al-Qaeda, and America’s War in Arabia (New York: W. W. Norton, 2013), p. 275.

455 “You can’t see shit”:Author interview, former JSOC planner, October 2012.

455 Suzuki Vitara SUV:Mohammed Jamjoom and Hakim Almasmari, “Yemeni Source: Drone Strike Misses al-Awlaki, Hits Two Supporters,” CNN.com, May 7, 2011.

456 stuck with Awlaki’s truck:Ibid.

456 “We were hoping it was him”:Transcript, CBS Evening News, May 6, 2011.

456 “vehicles were exchanged”:Jamjoom and Almasmari, “Yemeni Source.”

456 “U.S. government has been targeting al-Awlaki”:Transcript, “Deciphering bin Laden’s Messages; Drone Strikes; Targeting Awlaki,” John King, USA , CNN, May 6, 2011.

457 “now they’re after my son”:Tom Finn, “I Fear for My Son, Says Father of Anwar al-Awlaki, Tipped as new Bin Laden,” Observer , May 7, 2011.

458 “counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan”:Transcript, “Remarks by the President on Osama bin Laden,” May 2, 2011.

458 “did its part”:Asif Ali Zardari, “Pakistan Did Its Part,” op-ed Washington Post, May 2, 2011.

458 “We will not allow”:Sajjad Tarakzai, “Bin Laden Dead as Joyful US Says Justice Is Done,” Agence France-Presse, May 2, 2011.

458 “It was cold-blooded”:Kamran Haider and Augustine Anthony, “No Resistance in ‘Cold-Blooded’ U.S. Raid: Pakistan Officials,” Reuters, May 5, 2011.

458 “an unauthorized unilateral action”:Jane Perlez and David Rohde, “Pakistan Pushes Back Against U.S. Criticism on Bin Laden,” New York Times , May 3, 2011.

458 “unprovoked aggression”:Express/AFP, “Zardari and Gilani Should Resign: Qureshi,” Express Tribune, May 7, 2011.

458 “Every Pakistani wants to know”:“Altaf Asks Military, Govt to Apologise over US Raid,” Dawn.com, May 5, 2011.

458 “violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty”:“Terms of Engagement with US Be Reviewed: Resolution,” Dawn.com, May 15, 2011.

459 “inconceivable”:Transcript, “Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney and Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism John Brennan,” May 2, 2011.

459 1,500 Pakistanis protested:“U.S. Drone Strike in Pakistan; Protests over bin Laden,” Reuters, May 6, 2011.

459 sentenced to thirty-three years:Jon Boone, “Doctor Who Helped US in Search for Osama Bin Laden Jailed for Thirty-three Years,” Guardian, May 23, 2012.

459 “shocking and outrageous”:Senator John McCain and Senator Carl Levin, “Statement by Senators McCain and Levin on Sentencing of Pakistani Doctor Who Assisted in bin Laden Search,” press release, May 23, 2012, www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?ContentRecord_id=7a9e4f17-9a3f-f98a-ad20-f9fb18505c1d&-FuseAction=PressOffice.PressReleases.

459 “For us, he’s no hero”:Kimberly Dozier and Bradley Klapper, “Pakistan to Talk Counterterrorism with US, Afghans,” Associated Press, September 20, 2012.

459 “Since the killing of the al Qaeda leader”:Master Sergeant Michael O’Connor, “ISAF Mission at Full Speed Following Death of Al Qaeda Leader,” ISAF Headquarters, May 12, 2011.

459 Pakistani soldiers:Salman Masood and Eric Schmitt, “Tensions Flare Between U.S. and Pakistan After Strike,” New York Times, November 26, 2011.

460 counterterrorism units were pulled away:Margaret Coker, “Rebel General Fights Yemen Regime,” Wall Street Journal , June 2, 2011.

460 laid siege to Zinjibar:Laura Kasinof, “Islamists Seize a Yemeni City, Stoking Fears,” New York Times, May 29, 2011.

460 announced themselves as a new group:Hakim Almasmari and Margaret Coker, “Yemen Unrest Spreads South,” Wall Street Journal , May 30, 2011.

460 front for Al Qaeda:Author interviews, senior Yemeni officials, January 2012.

460 “The name Ansar al Sharia”:“Online Question and Answer Session with Abu Zubayr Adel al-Abab, Shariah Official for Member of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula [AQAP],” April 18, 2011, translation by Amany Soliman, The International Centre for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence, http://islamopediaonline.org/sites/default/files/abdu_zubayr_english.pdf.

461 “there could be mortars”:Author interview, General Mohammed al Sumali, January 2012. All statements and information attributed to General al Sumali come from the author’s interview.

461 “heavy artillery pieces”:Madad News Agency, “After Great Attrition of Ali Saleh’s Forces on the Doofos Front; Ansar Al-Shari’ah Announces a New Strategy and Different Tactics for Urban Warfare,” News Report Issue No. 1, September 2011, translation of online news magazine by Ansar Al-Mujahideen English Forum, released via Jihadology, December 26, 2011, http://azelin.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/ane1b9a3c481r-al-sharc4abah-in-yemen-22news-report-issue-122-en.pdf.

462 more than 230 Yemeni soldiers:Fawaz al Haidari, “Yemen Says Hundreds Killed in Qaeda Fight,” Agence France-Presse, September 11, 2011.

462 “handed over Zinjibar to these militants”:Author interview, Abdul Ghani al Iryani, January 2012. All statements and information attributed to Iryani come from the author’s interview.

462 did not respond:Author interview, Yemeni government official, January 2012.

463 “political tumult”:Kimberly Dozier (AP), “Al Qaeda Reeling, US Terror Chief Says,” Boston.com, September 2, 2011.

463 declaring an Islamic emirate:Al Bawaba News, “Yemen: Al Qaeda Declares South Province as ‘Islamic Emirate,’” Eurasia Review , March 31, 2011.

463 “Ansar al Sharia has been much more proactive”:Author interview, Gregory Johnsen, January 2012. All information and statements attributed to Johnsen come from the author’s interview.

463 repaired roads, restored electricity:Sasha Gordon, “Abyani Tribes and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen,” Critical Threats , July 25, 2012, www.criticalthreats.org/yemen/gordon-abyani-tribes-and-al-qaeda-arabian-peninsula-july-25-2012#_edn21.

463 “brought security to the people”:Author interview, Abdul Rezzaq al Jamal, January 2012. All information and statements attributed to Jamal come from the author’s interview.