Anthony Summers - The Eleventh Day

Arab News

, 11/7/01, & see int. Turki al-Faisal, “Inside the Kingdom,”

www.pbs.org

;

9

“had a strong”:

Coll,

Bin Ladens

, 295–, citing Badeeb int. Orbit, TV, 2001;

10 “He was our”:Coll, Ghost Wars , 87;

11 “to provide”:Ahmed Rashid, Taliban , New Haven: Yale Univ. Press, 2000, 131, int. of Robert Fisk, 3/5/07, www.democracynow.org;

12 spread/cultivate:Coll, Bin Ladens , 250–;

13 “will not end”:Bergen, Holy War , 53;

14 Saudi support/Azzam’s request:Coll, Bin Ladens , 254, 282, bin Ladens & Sasson, 51.

15 Beit al-Ansar:Rashid, Taliban , 13, Bergen, OBL I Know , 29, Wright, 103–, Coll, Bin Ladens , 256. While the building in Pakistan was “Beit” [Place of] al-Ansar, the apartment used in Germany by Mohamed Atta and his comrades was known by them as “Dar” [House of] al-Ansar. Translations vary—e.g. House of the Supporters v. House of the Followers (CR, 164, 495n82, Fouda & Fielding, 108).

16 Azzam toured:Bergen, OBL I Know , 33, John Cooley, Unholy Wars , London: Pluto, 2002, 69–;

17 Azzam “enlisted”:corr. Barnett Rubin, 2010, New York , 3/27/95.

18 CIA ratcheted/​deniability/​Pakistan control/ISI:Cooley, xvii, 41–, 64–, 69, 87–, Bergen, Holy War , 63–, 54, Rashid, Taliban , 129–, 184, 248. Veteran intelligence officer Vincent Cannistraro, who was involved in Afghan policy at the time, has said that only half a dozen CIA officers—“administrators”—served in Pakistan at any one time. Milton Bearden, who was station chief in the Pakistani capital, said the agency “did not recruit Arabs.” More obliquely, Bearden has said he “stayed pretty much away from the crowd of Gulf Arabs who were doing the fund-raising.… They were not a major part of the war.” He also said, “We knew who bin Laden was back then.” (Cannistraro: Bergen, Holy War Inc. , 65; Bearden: Coll, Ghost Wars , 155, BG , 9/23/01).

19 officers trained/Special Forces:Cooley, 13, 21, 64, 67–, 70, 75–. Jane’s Defence Weekly reported that Pakistani ISI operatives received instruction from “Green Beret commandos and Navy Seals in various U.S. training establishments.” ( Jane’s Defence Weekly , 9/14/01;

20 cash went/collaborate OBL:Bergen, Holy War Inc. , 68–, Cooley, 47, Rashid, Taliban , 132–;

21 Springmann:transcript of int. Michael Springmann, 7/3/02, www.btinternet.com, “Newsnight,” 11/6/01, http://news.bbc.co.uk, Michael Springmann, “The Hand that Rules the Visa Machine Rocks the World,” Covert Action Quarterly , Winter 01.

22 “former CIA”/“U.S. emissaries”:Reeve, 167, 176n33. Another allegation linking bin Laden to the CIA, however, is certainly unreliable. The author Jim Marrs reported a claim that bin Laden, under the name “Tim Osman,” was brought to America in 1986 to meet government agents. According to Marrs, the meeting was “confirmed” by one of those present, a former FBI agent named Ted Gunderson. Gunderson, however, has made other entirely bizarre assertions (Marrs, 103,415n103, www.tedgunderson.net);

23 OBL “was a product”: Guardian (U.K.), 7/8/05;

24 “I created”: France-Soir , 8/27/98, citing int. of 1995;

25 “Personally”: The Independent (U.K.), 12/6/96.

26 “The Saudi government”:transcript of int. OBL of 10/21/01, CNN, 2/5/02;

27 Najwa overheard/​helicopter/​“stop thinking”:bin Ladens & Sasson, 32–;

28 Jaji/running:Bergen, OBL I Know , 55, In the Footsteps of Bin Laden , CNN, 8/23/06;

29 Lion’s Den:Scheuer, Osama bin Laden , 61;

30 bravery:int. Huthaifa Azzam, 2006, courtesy Paladin InVision;

31 crying:Bergen, Holy War Inc. , 12;

32 “thirst”:Wright, 106;

33 “martyrdom”:ibid., The Independent (U.K.), 12/6/93;

34 “requires”:Coll, Bin Ladens , 255–;

35 “As Muslims”: The Independent (U.K.), 12/6/93;

36 Russian pullout/new phase:Wright, 137, Coll, Bin Ladens , 334, Coll, Ghost Wars , 184–;

37 Jalalabad/​“took charge”:Bergen, OBL I Know , 87–, Coll, Bin Ladens , 340;

38 disagreements:Bergen, OBL I Know , 62–, 68, Coll, Bin Ladens , 304, Wright, 112;

39 Azzam death:bin Ladens & Sasson, 78, Bergen, OBL I Know , 92–;

40 hero/​Abdullah/​feted/​talks:Posner, Why America Slept , 44, Lacey, Inside the Kingdom , 123, Posner, Why America Slept , 45, bin Ladens & Sasson, 73;

41 back to work:“The Sociology & Psychology of Terrorism,” Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, 9/99, 117–, Rashid, Taliban , 133;

42 wives/“his aim”:bin Ladens & Sasson, 49–;

43 jokes:Bergen, OBL I Know , 47, Telegraph (U.K.), 7/23/07;

44 “I have”:ibid.;

45 children/​divorce/​annulment, etc.:bin Ladens & Sasson, 301–;

46 “I never”:Bergen, OBL I Know , 26;

47 “a good”/​“corrupted”/​forbade/​milk/​“We were”/“live just”/asthma/“From the time”:bin Ladens & Sasson, 42–, 54, 60–;

48 “how to be”:Bergen, OBL I Know , 26;

49 Abdullah war zone:bin Ladens & Sasson, 77, 305;

50 “like a”:Coll, Ghost Wars , 153 & see Miller & Stone, 185, int. of Fouad Ajami, 2006, courtesy of Paladin InVision;

51 “still, silent”: Canada Free Press , 9/14/06, www.mail-archive.com.

52 CIA thought:Coll, Ghost Wars , 182–.

53 “tactical alliance”/“In our struggle”: France-Soir , 8/27/98, citing int. of 1995. During the anti-Soviet conflict, bin Laden appeared grateful for the American contribution—in private. “In the mid-eighties,” Saudi Arabia’s Prince Bandar, who was his country’s ambassador to the United States, told CNN’s Larry King, “he came to thank me for my efforts to bring the Americans, our friends, to help us against the atheists” ( Larry King Live , CNN, 10/1/01).

54 “Every Muslim”:ed. Lawrence, 87.

55 Rohrabacher:speech, 5/5/04, USA Today , 9/18/01. Rohrabacher, a Republican who was elected to Congress in 1989, is a controversial figure. Given the corroborative accounts that follow, however, this story about bin Laden is credible (controversial: e.g., “Rogue Statesman,” www.ocweekly.com, 9/5/02, Telegraph (U.K.), 9/13/08);

56 Girardet: National Geographic , 12/1/01, In the Footsteps of Bin Laden , CNN, 8/23/06;

57 Simpson:John Simpson, Simpson’s World , NY: Miramax, 2003, 82–, Telegraph (U.K.), 9/16/01, Bergen, Holy War Inc. , 65.

58 “vanguard”/“al qaeda”: Bergen, OBL I Know , 75, Gunaratna, 3–;