A populist revolution in Iran, hostage crisis at an embassy, in Mecca the assassination of an Egyptian head of state, a military invasion in Afghanistan, a series of terrorist attacks in the Philippines, an official reception in Washington DC. All these events are pieces of a giant puzzle scattered around the world. The Terror Routes I: 1979-1993: They Were On the Side of the Angels, Amazon 2011
We should attempt to follow that road: it winds through a transforming Arab world, a crumbling Soviet empire, and an American nation at the hands of would-be sorcerers, the object of mounting hatred. ibid.
Kabul, Afghanistan, 24th December 1979: Operation Storm 333 has just begun. That is the codename given by the Soviets for the invasion of Afghanistan. ibid.
All along the road leading to September 11th are a number of men who are part of an Islamic galaxy. ibid.
Ayman al-Zawahiri is released after three years spent in Egyptian jails. Under torture, he reveals the names of a number of underground Islamist leaders. There years are crucial in al-Zawahiri’s evolution. They only served to reinforce his radicalism. ibid.
Peshawar near the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan is now a strategic hub in the war against the Soviets. Support for Afghan rebels, the Mujahideen, is organised with the help of western powers led by the United States. ibid.
‘Ali Muhammad created the encyclopaedia of jihad, the training syllabus that was used extensively in Afghanistan.’ ibid. US man in the know
‘Reagan openly supported jihadists, including some that are now fighting us.’ ibid.
‘Everybody took credit for it but they all forgot that there was this Islamic muscle which took credit for Allah. And nobody thought of devising some sort of a strategy or policy to contain this muscle. Indeed, they did the opposite.’ ibid.
‘I don’t know why the blind sheikh was issued with a visa to come to the United States.’ ibid.
The Towers held but the countdown to their demise was launched. The Terror Routes II: 1993-2001 The Countdown
Americans and jihadists lose their common enemy. Exhilarated by their victory against the Soviet Union, Islamists turn against their former protectors. ibid.
During the same period, in the middle of the ’90s, Saudi Arabia is facing an important surge of Sunnite extremism. ibid.
‘Bin Laden had come to our attention because his money was increasingly linked to people that the US was worried about.’ ibid. man in the know
Immediately, I sensed that I was on fire. Everything was burning all around me. I was clawing my way through. I could finally see some glimpses of daylight. And my adrenaline surged. And I stood up and I walked out what was a big punch-out hole. I had been burned on over 47% of my body, and I had inhaled so much jet-fuel and smoke, I flatlined twice. American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden I, Netflix 2025
In 1992 there was an attack against US servicemen in Yemen. We did some investigation and the little breadcrumbs led back to bin Laden. ibid. comment
9/11: And I remember the thought I had was, Nothing will ever be the same again. And it turns out it wasn’t. ibid.
‘The definition is whatever it takes.’ ibid. Bush to cabinet
Afghanistan: We had accomplished some aspects of the mission, no doubt, but we did not bring bin Laden’s head back on ice. ibid. comment
[Dan Rather, TV news]: Another Osama bin Laden propaganda video surfaced today in the Arab world. American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden II, Gloves are Off
Through a series of intelligence breakthroughs, we started to develop a pattern of travel for Abu Zubayday in Pakistan. ibid. comment
KSM [Mukhtar] had been bin Laden’s accomplice all along. ibid.
Enhanced interview techniques: This is apeshit. This has gone crazy. ibid.
If we find and locate, track a courier, that would potentially led us to bin Laden’s location. American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden III: Operation Neptune Spear
KSM was doing everything he could to protect the courier. ibid.
It was pretty clear that somebody of high value was located there. ibid.