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Declassified CIA Brief Warned of Bin Laden’s Global Reach
The CIA released old secret reports about Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network.
One report from 1998 said India was among several countries where he wanted attacks to happen.
It did not say what target in India might be attacked or when.
The report said his network was still communicating and operating after US strikes.
It also said his supporters and allied groups were spread across at least 60 countries.
Later reports described the Taliban deciding not to remove bin Laden from Afghanistan.
Other material said Pakistan began restricting some militants connected to him.
The files show that US intelligence was trying to understand and warn about the network before the September 11 attacks.
A 1998 CIA assessment listed India among countries where Osama bin Laden intended to carry out attacks.
The document named Egypt, parts of the Arabian Peninsula, Pakistan, Uganda and possibly Nigeria, but gave no Indian target or timeline.
The assessment said bin Laden’s communications network remained active after US strikes and could draw on people and allied groups in at least 60 countries.
Other declassified files described the Taliban’s refusal to expel bin Laden and Pakistan’s later restrictions on militants linked to his network.
The release includes 71 President’s Daily Brief products and more than 100 pages of material from before the September 11 attacks.
- Who
- The CIA, Osama bin Laden, the Taliban, and militants and allied groups linked to bin Laden’s network.
- What
- Newly declassified intelligence assessments described bin Laden’s planned attack locations, global network, and relationships with the Taliban and Pakistan.
- Where
- The documents discussed Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Egypt, the Arabian Peninsula, Uganda, possibly Nigeria, and other countries.
- When
- The assessments date from February 1998 through June 2000; the release coincided with the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
- Why
- The CIA released the materials to show how its analysts assessed and warned about al-Qaida before September 11.
Key facts
- Declassified material
- 71 President’s Daily Brief products, totaling more than 100 pages
- Key assessment date
- August 28, 1998
- Countries listed for possible attacks
- Egypt, parts of the Arabian Peninsula, India, Pakistan, Uganda, and possibly Nigeria
- Network reach
- At least 60 countries
- Taliban decision
- A December 1999 decision, described in a January 3, 2000 assessment, not to expel bin Laden from Afghanistan
- Pakistan-related assessment
- A June 27, 2000 brief said Islamabad had begun restricting militants associated with bin Laden in South Asia
- 1998 fatwa
- Leaders of Harakat ul-Ansar were among groups that signed bin Laden’s call for attacks on US interests and civilians worldwide
Sources
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