Bin Laden to Europe: Get Out of Afghanistan

November 29, 2007 1:16 PM

Maddy Sauer and Rehab El-Buri Report:

Osama bin Laden is calling on European nations to end their support of "America's oppression" in Afghanistan in an audiotape message just released.

Video: Listen to an excerpt of Bin Laden's Message to Europe

Bin Laden says he was responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and that the people and government of Afghanistan are innocent victims of America's war there.

Bin Laden said the U.S. pursued a war in Afghanistan despite the fact they had no evidence of a connection to the attacks. He said he attacked America on 9/11 because of the government's involvement in Palestine and Lebanon.

"The American tide is retreating," said bin Laden. He warned that the U.S. will soon go back home to their side of the Atlantic Ocean and added that the war in Afghanistan unfairly targets the women and children there.

The audio message was accompanied by an old still photo of bin Laden, but no new video of the terror leader was released today. In September, bin Laden appeared in a video message which was the first time he was seen on video in three years.

The latest audio message from the al Qaeda leader, who is believed to be hiding in Pakistan, aired this afternoon on al Jazeera TV and is expected to be widely distributed online in extreme Islamist forums. The media wing of al Qaeda, as Sahab, began advertising today's message online a few days ago.

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November 29, 2007 in Osama bin Laden | Permalink | User Comments (69)

Worried Bin Laden Urges Iraq Insurgents to 'Unite'

October 22, 2007 2:29 PM

Brian Ross and Rehab El-Buri Report:

Showing apparent signs of concern over events in Iraq, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden urged insurgents to "unite your lines into one" in an audiotape played on al Jazeera Monday.

"Don't be arrogant," bin Laden warned. "Your enemies are trying to break up the jihadi groups. I urge you all to work in one united group."

People familiar with bin Laden's voice say the tape appeared to be authentic, although there was no reference to any event that would indicate when it was recorded.

Bin Laden's message comes at a time when U.S. strategy to split Iraqi insurgent groups from al Qaeda units appears to be working.

Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.

"It's always good news when they are divided," said Richard Clarke, the former White House counterterrorism adviser, now an ABC News consultant. "It's reflective that U.S. tactics are having some success."

Saying he was speaking to "everyone in the Muslim community," bin Laden urged "scholars and leaders of the jihad" to take on the role of uniting the groups "right now."

U.S. intelligence officials said they were studying the tape, the third this year from the terror fugitive who is believed to be hiding along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.   

This post has been updated.

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October 22, 2007 in Osama bin Laden | Permalink | User Comments (81)

Bin Laden: Armed Rebellion Against Musharraf 'Obligatory'

September 20, 2007 9:27 AM

Brian Ross and Maddy Sauer Report:

In a tape posted on an al Qaeda Web site this morning, Osama bin Laden says Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's "loyalty, submissiveness and aid" to America "makes armed rebellion against him and removing him obligatory."

"He is a traitor to Islam and Muslims," bin Laden says in an audio statement posted over what appears to be previously seen video of the al Qaeda leader.

"We have been extremely late in carrying it out," bin Laden says, referring to rebellion against Musharraf, "so we should make up for lost time."

Watch an Excerpt of Bin Laden's Message.

The comments were addressed to the "people of Pakistan," but al Qaeda simultaneously released transcripts in English and Arabic as well as Pashtun.

Musharraf has been under growing pressure from the United States to crack down on safe havens inside Pakistan that U.S. intelligence officials say have allowed al Qaeda to re-establish training camps.

There have been at least five assassination attempts aimed at Musharraf in the last few years, which he blamed on al Qaeda-connected groups.      

This post has been updated.

September 20, 2007 in Osama bin Laden | Permalink | User Comments (33)

Bin Laden Threatens Americans in First Video Message in Three Years

September 07, 2007 3:09 PM

From The Blotter:

Osama bin Laden's rambling address includes a direct threat to the American people.

There are only two options to end the war in Iraq: either end the American democratic system of government, or for insurgents, he says, "to continue to escalate the killing and fighting against you."

World News Video: Watch Bin Laden's New Video Message

The al Qaeda leader refers to Democrats' gains in the November 2006 elections, saying they "haven't made a move worth mentioning. On the contrary, they continue to agree to the spending of tens of billions to continue the killing and war there."

The reason, he says, is the American democracy is corrupted by the influence of money from corporations, "the true tyrannical terrorists."

"[S]ince the democratic system permits major corporations to back candidates. . . there shouldn’t be any cause for astonishment. . . the Democrats’ failure to stop the war," bin Laden says. He also says that "despite the differing intentions," his interests overlap with corporations and others who perpetuate the war.

Bin Laden also has harsh words for the U.S. news media, which "lost its credibility and manifested itself as a tool of the colonialist empires" with its early coverage of the Iraq war. That coverage, he says, was often worse than what was produced by news outlets under dictatorial regimes.

He also mentions French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who came to power in May and at the end of June, respectively.

Bin Laden does refer to the Sept. 11 attacks. He criticizes Americans for not holding "those who waged this war" accountable and for re-electing President Bush "to continue to murder our people in Iraq and Afghanistan."

"Then you claim to be innocent!" he says. "The innocence of yours is like my innocence of the blood of your sons on the 9/11 -- were I to claim such a thing."

Bin Laden emphasized the tolerance Islamic countries have shown Jews and Christians in history, contrasting that with the Jewish holocaust and the slaughter of Native Americans in North America. Ultimately, bin Laden says, everyone should convert to Islam.

This is the al Qaeda's leader first video message since October 2004.

This post has been updated.

September 7, 2007 in Osama bin Laden, Terror | Permalink | User Comments (36)

New Videotape From Bin Laden; Al Qaeda's No. 1 Still Alive

September 07, 2007 9:23 AM

Brian Ross Reports:

Intelligence sources tell ABC News they believe the video message from Osama bin Laden is authentic, recently produced and evidence the al Qaeda leader is still alive.

According to government sources, an initial analysis of the tape indicates "a lot of chest thumping" and of course historical references "alluding" to the successful attack on New York.

And a CIA spokesman told ABC News, "It's quite possible this is a new video."

U.S. authorities earlier this morning said the tape's transcript is aimed at potential suicide bombers who he urges to carry out missions against the West.

Good Morning America Video: Bin Laden Alive?

The jihadist Web site announced the tape with a banner, showing a still picture of bin Laden, now 50 years old, looking fit with a full beard of dark black hair, no gray at all.

"It does look oddly like he is wearing a false beard," Richard Clarke, a former White House counterterrorism official and now ABC News consultant, said. "If we go back to the tape three years, he had a very white beard. This looks like a phony beard that has been passed on."

The "phony beard" may be an important clue as to where bin Laden is hiding, according to Clarke.

"One place where a beard would stand out would be southeast Asia, the Philippines, Indonesia," Clarke told ABC News. "No one's thought he was there, but that is an environment where most men, Muslim men don't have beards."

U.S. officials say there is little doubt the al Qaeda leader timed his latest message to the 9/11 anniversary.

"He came up on this occasion to prove he's alive, to taunt us and to take advantage of the 9/11 remembrance ceremonies to get some propaganda," Clarke said.

The actual videotape – bin Laden's first in 35 months since October 2004 – is expected to be released in the next few days or hours.

Sources in the intelligence community, who are already busy analyzing the image of bin Laden for clues of his whereabouts, say the tape is likely to be a direct message to Americans.

The Department of Homeland Security released a bulletin this morning, saying it and the FBI have "no intelligence of any specific and imminent threat to the homeland at this time."

"We assess that past public statements by al-Qa'ida leaders have neither contained coded communications nor signals linked to specific terrorist attacks," the bulletin read. "The anniversary of the 11 September 2001 attacks serves as a focal point for propaganda, but al-Qa'ida previously has not timed its operations to specific dates."

The DHS also promised to "work closely with our state and local partners in our efforts to warn of potential threats. We also will continue to work with our Intelligence Community partners to identify possible threats to the Homeland."

ABC News sources say CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden met today with New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and was impressed by the "ground truth" the police department intelligence division puts together through dozens of informant reports reviewed each day.

This post has been updated.

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September 7, 2007 in Osama bin Laden | Permalink | User Comments (564)

Al Qaeda Announces New Bin Laden Video

September 06, 2007 5:42 PM

Brian Ross Reports:

Osama bin Laden will soon send a video message to America, according to a Web site regularly used by al Qaeda. 

A posting late this afternoon said, "Soon, with the permission of God, a new visual tape, the Sheikh, the Lion, Osama bin Laden. May God protect him."

Bin Laden has not been seen on a new video since October 2004.

A still frame accompanying the announcement shows bin Laden with an all-black beard. In his 2004 appearance, his facial hair was predominantly gray.   

Federal law enforcement authorities say that another Web site had posted a message on Sept. 2, promising "a special gift to be delivered on the blessed day of the invasion of Manhattan."

But U.S. officials are skeptical the tape will show a new message from bin Laden. One said, "We will believe it when we see it."

This post has been updated.

September 6, 2007 in Osama bin Laden | Permalink | User Comments (185)

Senate: Put OBL Reward at $50 Million

July 13, 2007 12:28 PM

Z. Byron Wolf and Krista Kjellman Report:

The United States Senate voted this morning to double the reward for al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to $50 million, in a "show them the money" action.

"It's been nearly six long years. Osama bin Laden remains free," Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., who sponsored the amendment, said on the Senate floor before the vote.

In the hopes more money will entice bin Laden's inner circle to turn him in, senators on both sides of the aisle voted to enable the U.S. State Department to increase the bounty on bin Laden's head from $25 million to $50 million.

But senior U.S. officials say it isn't all about the money.

"The appeal of, call it the ideology rather than the religion, exceeds the appeal of money or any other blandishment that we've been able to offer," Thomas Fingar, deputy director of national intelligence for analysis, testified before Congress earlier this week.

The amendment to the annual Department of Defense bill also requires Defense Secretary Robert Gates to send a report on the hunt for bin Laden to Congress every 90 days.

"The threat against our country today is a threat by Osama bin Laden, the leadership of al Qaeda operating from a secure and safe place in Pakistan, we are told, planning attacks against our country and others," Sen. Dorgan said.

As the Blotter on ABCNews.com reported earlier this week, senior law enforcement officials say there are growing signs of a "Summer of '07" terror attack in the U.S.

At the center of the concern, they say, is intelligence that an al Qaeda cell is on its way to the United States, or already here.

But while Republican Sen. Larry Craig, Idaho, voted in favor of the reward increase, he didn't think it would do any good.

"Does money make the difference?" he asked on the Senate floor before the vote. "Because if money had made the difference, Osama bin Laden would be in his grave."

As for the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden, a top CIA official testified before Congress earlier this week that the al Qaeda head is most likely alive and waiting in Pakistan.

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July 13, 2007 in Osama bin Laden | Permalink | User Comments (61)

Bin Laden Turns 50 -- But No Birthday Cake

March 12, 2007 1:56 PM

Hoda Osman Reports:

If alive, the most wanted terrorist in the world would have turned 50 this weekend. It is unlikely, however, the al Qaeda leader celebrated the milestone birthday this weekend.  Not only is he the subject of a newly intensified manhunt, but the celebration -- if there was any -- would have taken place last September.

Bin Laden is believed to have been born on March 10, 1957. However, al Qaeda leaders -- and Islamist groups in general -- are keen on following the Islamic lunar calendar. This becomes mostly clear when they issue statements that are dated according to the Islamic Hijri calendar, which started when Prophet Muhammad moved to the city of Medinah and established the first Muslim community there over 1400 years ago.

Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.

"Islamists consider birthday celebrations an innovation," Yasser Serri, who runs an Islamist center in London, told ABC News.  Serri said even Prophet Mohammed's birthday is not celebrated, adding that al Qaeda leaders wouldn't do anything special on their birthdays, not even the Islamic calendar ones.

Bin Laden's disappearance since his last audio statement in July 2006 and last video right before the U.S. presidential elections in October 2004 led to renewed speculation that he may have died.  In a recent video interview with the Arab news channel al Jazeera, Taliban military commander Mullah Dadullah assured, however, that bin Laden was still alive.

Bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al Zawahri, has meanwhile been issuing frequent statements, most recently this weekend.

The U.S. is offering a reward of up to $25 million for information leading to the capture of bin Laden. 

March 12, 2007 in Osama bin Laden | Permalink | User Comments (13)

CIA Rushing Resources to Bin Laden Hunt

March 05, 2007 3:47 PM

Brian Ross Reports:

Armed with fresh intelligence, the CIA is moving additional man power and equipment into Pakistan in the effort to find Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al Zawahri, U.S. officials tell ABC News.

"Reports that the trail has gone stone cold are not correct," said one U.S. official.  "We are very much increasing our efforts there," the official said.

People familiar with the CIA operation say undercover officers with paramilitary training have been ordered into Pakistan and the area across the border with Afghanistan as part of the ramp-up.

Although never publicly acknowledged, Pakistan has permitted CIA teams to secretly operate inside Pakistan.

Pakistan officials say they are aware that CIA teams have increased their presence in northern Waziristan since last September when Pakistan withdrew its troops from the area under a much-criticized "peace deal" with tribal leaders.

Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.

Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell testified last week that current intelligence "to the best of our knowledge" puts both bin Laden and al Zawahri in Pakistan.  It was the first time a high-ranking U.S. official publicly identified Pakistan as bin Laden's hiding place.

Past intelligence has indicated that bin Laden often changed locations in March, traveling to hiding places in the mountains once the snow cover begins to melt.

Weigh In: Where Is Osama bin Laden?

March 5, 2007 in Osama bin Laden | Permalink | User Comments (401)

CIA: Bin Laden in Pakistan Establishing New Camps

February 27, 2007 6:56 PM

Brian Ross and Z. Byron Wolf Report:

In the most definitive statement in years, America's top intelligence official said Tuesday Osama bin laden is in Pakistan actively re-establishing al Qaeda training camps.

The newly appointed Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell made the assertion about bin Laden and his No. 2 man, Ayman al Zawahri, in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Referring to Pakistan's rugged tribal area, McConnell said "to the best of our knowledge that the senior leadership, No. 1 and No. 2, are there, and they are attempting to re-establish and rebuild and to establish training camps."

Until now, U.S. intelligence officials had declined to publicly identify, with such certainty, the location of bin Laden although he has long been suspected of hiding in Pakistan near the border with Afghanistan.

McConnell's testimony came the day after the CIA deputy director, Stephen R. Kappes, flew to Pakistan to confront President Pervez Musharaff with "compelling" evidence that new al Qaeda training camps were being established on Pakistani territory.

Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.

U.S. officials would not describe the evidence in any detail, but people in the intelligence community have speculated recently that the CIA may have obtained surveillance photos of either bin Laden or Zawahri in Pakistan.

McConnell's public testimony was followed by a closed, secret session with senators.

February 27, 2007 in Osama bin Laden | Permalink | User Comments (254)

Jesus Loves Osama?

February 01, 2007 10:02 AM

Maddy Sauer Reports:

"Jesus Loves Osama," at least according to signs posted outside some churches in Australia.

While many are upset about the message, a pastor from the church insists that it adheres to Christian beliefs.

"Jesus came to save all mankind and that includes you...me...and Osama bin Laden," said the pastor from Central Baptist Church.

The Australian Prime Minister, however, wishes the church had focused on others in need of well wishes.

"The prayer priority of the church on this occasion could have been elsewhere," John
Howard said.

Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.

But another church spokesperson insisted that the al Qaeda leader is just as worthy of prayers as anyone else.

Hy Lam told "The Daily Telegraph," "Osama is the head of terrorism. We are saying that Jesus Christ loves everyone in the world, even this man."  He continued, "The Bible says God loves everyone -- even Osama bin Laden is included in that. All we are doing is sharing the gospel."

February 1, 2007 in Osama bin Laden | Permalink | User Comments (47)

Bin Laden Alive, Active Says Algerian Group

January 26, 2007 12:50 PM

Hoda Osman Reports:

Although he has not been seen or heard since last July, a militant Islamist group in Algeria says Osama bin Laden gave formal approval this week for the group to change its name. 

In a statement issued by the Algerian Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC), the group -- now known as "Al Qaeda Organization in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb"-- says it had to await bin Laden's personal review for the name change and has now received it.

Members of jihadi forums have noted that the new statement shows bin Laden is alive and well.

One posting, entitled "News About Sheikh Osama," points out that bin Laden's alleged response to the group is proof that he was supervising matters. "Thanks be to God for the good news. We await to hear your voice," said the posting.

The last statement by bin Laden was an audio issued on July 1, 2006. In a recent statement, al Qaeda's No. 2 Ayman al Zawahri indicated he was in touch with bin Laden.

Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage.

In an interview with al Arabiya channel on Wednesday, however, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf claimed there were reports that bin Laden and al Zawahri "have developed differences and are operating separately now."

January 26, 2007 in Osama bin Laden | Permalink | User Comments (40)

Taliban to ABC News: OBL Alive and Safe

September 27, 2006 11:53 AM

Rahimullah Yusufzai Reports:

In a surprise phone call to the home of an ABC News producer in Pakistan, the top Taliban military commander, Mulla Dadullah Akhund, said Osama bin Laden is alive and that there is no truth to the rumors of his death from typhoid.

"Sheikh Osama is all right. He is safe," Dadullah told ABC News' Rahimullah Yusufzai. Dadullah would not disclose the location from where he was calling.

In the past, Dadullah has issued statements to the effect that bin Laden and Taliban leader Mulla Mohammad Omar are alive and leading the resistance against U.S.-led foreign forces in Afghanistan.

When pressed for evidence to show that bin Laden is alive, Dadullah hinted that there is a possibility of a tape being sent to media organizations to prove that the al Qaeda head isn't dead. Dadullah, however, declined to say as to when this tape would be made available.

The last time bin Laden released an audiotape was in late July. In it, he eulogized the sacrifices of al Qaeda leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al Zarqawi, and described him as a martyr.

That audiotape was the fifth issued by bin Laden in 2006. His last videotape was released in October 2004 a few days before the presidential elections in the U.S.

The renewed interest in bin Laden's fate was triggered by the report in a French regional newspaper that the al Qaeda leader died after suffering from a serious bout of typhoid in Pakistan on Aug. 23. That report grew out of a rumor passed at an embassy party in Islamabad by a Saudi diplomat attache, according to intelligence sources in France and Pakistan.

It isn't clear whether Taliban commanders, such as Dadullah, have access to bin Laden or to his deputy, Ayman al Zawahiri, and other important al Qaeda figures. There have been reports that al Qaeda and Taliban members have forged closer ties with each other since the collapse of the Taliban government in Afghanistan in December 2001. However, there is no evidence that bin Laden, Zawahiri and Mulla Omar could be hiding together in one place.

September 27, 2006 in Osama bin Laden | Permalink | User Comments (22)

Musharraf Reveals New Bin Laden Intelligence

September 19, 2006 6:08 PM

Brian Ross Reports:

For the first time, Pakistani President Pervez Musharaff has revealed that his government may know the general whereabouts of Osama bin Laden.

Speaking at a meeting in New York earlier this week, Musharaff conceded that bin Laden may well be in his country, according to people who heard his comments. 

"We believe he is somewhere between Bajaur, Pakistan, and the province of Kunar in Afghanistan," he said at a meeting connected to his appearance at the United Nations.

As recently as last week, Pakistani government spokespeople had said bin Laden's whereabouts were a complete mystery.

The area described by Musharaff is a mountainous region north of the Pakistani city of Peshawar.

Musharaff told the New York audience that bin Laden "could be in either Pakistan or Afghanistan."

September 19, 2006 in Osama bin Laden | Permalink | User Comments (49)

Missed Opportunities: The CIA and bin Laden

September 10, 2006 7:35 PM

Brian Ross Reports:

The FBI agent assigned to put the handcuffs on Osama bin Laden had practiced what he would say.

"I would have said, 'Mr. bin Laden, my name is Jack Cloonan. I'm from the FBI in New York.'" Jack Cloonan told ABC News. "'You are under arrest'...Then he would have been handcuffed...And that's what I was looking forward to."

But, of course, it never happened.

Despite 10 years and tens of millions of dollars spent, the United States government has failed to capture or kill the world's most infamous terrorist.

Many CIA officers in the field, including Gary Bernsten, who was assigned to hunt bin Laden, blame officials in Washington.

"CIA provided an American president, first Bill Clinton, multiple opportunities to capture or kill bin Laden," Bernsten said. "We provided those opportunities, tactical opportunities which were not taken."

In its exhaustive report, the 9/11 Commission identified at least five separate times in 1998 and 1999 when operations were underway to get bin Laden.

In only one case was there a decision to proceed.

"The commission made no conclusion as to whether they should have gone ahead. I should emphasize," Daniel Marcus, the general counsel for the Commission, told ABC News, "that all of these decisions were difficult decisions because of the potential for collateral casualties among civilians and because of uncertainties as to the intelligence.

The first plan in 1998 was to use Afghanis working for the CIA to capture bin laden from his Afghan compound, called Tarnak Farms, and turn him over to the FBI for a flight to the U.S.

"The Afghanis were going to be the vanguard. So they were going to break into the compound essentially, shoot it out, because bin Laden obviously had a coterie of guards to protect him. If bin Laden had survived that assault, he was going to be essentially anesthetized," Cloonan said, "removed from that compound."

There were four practice rehearsals in Texas and a capture date set, but the Commission said the director of the CIA George Tenet pulled the plug, citing the risk of civilian casualties and the poor odds of success.

"Bin laden had two tanks. He had machine gun nests. All of these people that CIA had hired would have been gunned down, and so higher levels in the CIA said that plan won't work, and I agreed with them, it wouldn't have worked," Richard Clarke, then White House Director of Counter-terrorism and now an ABC News consultant, said.

Two months later al Qaeda attacked two U.S. embassies in Africa, killing more than 250 people.

"After the embassy bombings, we developed a very elaborate plan to go after bin laden and the al Qaeda network," Clarke said.

That plan started with the launch of cruise missiles against a training camp where bin Laden was expected to be.

"Our mission was clear to strike at the network of radical groups affiliated with Osama bin Laden," President Clinton said.

But the U.S. missed its primary target, bin Laden.

"It was clear that he had been there, and the CIA believes he left a couple of hours before the missile struck," said Marcus. "But, and there are some officials who think it is likely that some Pakistani official notified someone in the Taliban or al Qaeda and tipped off bin Laden to leave. But we don't know."

That was the last time, August of 1998, that the U.S. would actually try to capture or kill bin laden until post-9/11.

Each time it would get close, CIA director Tenet would pull the plug, according to Clarke.

"President Clinton authorized two U.S. cruise missile attack submarines to sit off the Pakistani coast and to sit there for months on end waiting for word that we might have sighted bin Laden," Clarke explained.

And on three occasions, CIA sources, not CIA personnel, but people, Afghans, who were working for CIA, said they thought they knew where bin Laden was. And on all three occasions, those cruise missiles in the submarines were activated and began to spin up and get ready to launch. And on all three occasions, the director of the CIA, George Tenet, said he could not recommend the attack because the information from his one source wasn't good enough.

CIA officers in the field disagreed. And the 9/ll Commission report calls the third of those aborted attacks, Kandahar, May 1999, the last, most likely best chance to get bin Laden.

"We thought that was the closest call. And that was one where I think the Commission thought the decision not to undertake that cruise missile strike was relatively murky compared to the decision-making process in other instances," recounted Marcus.

Efforts by Richard Clarke to get the U.S. military to bomb the growing al Qaeda training camps were rejected, with generals deriding them as jungle-gym camps, not worth wasting a million dollar missile.

"I think if we had taken that opportunity to wipe out the camps, and every time they rebuilt them to wipe them out again, we could have so thrown al Qaeda off that perhaps they wouldn't have been able to get up," Clarke said. "And we could have done that anytime over the course of several years."

In October of 2000, al Qaeda attacked the USS Cole in Yemen, killing 17 crew members.

But neither the Clinton nor the Bush administration ordered retaliation.

"I think it's fair to say that the Commission was critical of both the Clinton administration and the Bush administration for dropping the ball, if you will, on the question of responding to the Cole attack," Marcus said.

The failure by both Presidents to respond to the Cole is regarded by many as a huge mistake.

"We now know from debriefings of captured al Qaeda leaders that the fact that they did the Cole attack and nothing happened did embolden them," Clarke said.

Asked if he regrets that, Clarke replied, "I regret it very much."

September 10, 2006 in Osama bin Laden | Permalink | User Comments (16)

Senate Votes To Fund "Unnecessary" OBL Unit

September 07, 2006 3:53 PM

Zach Wolf and Jason Ryan Report:

The Senate today voted unanimously to allocate $200 million for the Osama bin Laden unit that the CIA closed earlier this year in a reorganization of its efforts against al Qaeda.

The CIA decision to close the unit did not stop North Dakota Democrats Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad from introducing the amendment to fund the unit geared toward hunting bin Laden and other high-profile al Qaeda targets.

The amendment received a unanimous 96-0 vote.

CIA spokesman Mark Mansfield said the agency remained "fully engaged" in the hunt for bin Laden and that "more resources, not less" have been committed, with the "most experienced bin Laden experts at the CIA fully engaged." 

Mansfield said Alec Station had been closed as part of a "reorganization, not a reduction" of CIA resources.  He said the agency had to reorganize to take into account the many new groups that had aligned themselves with al Qaeda.

Speaking to reporters after the amendment passed, both Senators bristled at the question, "Why are you funding a program the CIA said this summer it no longer needs?"

"There are people in the intelligence community that disagree with that assessment, and we disagree with that assessment. The top leadership of al Qaeda is still out there," said Conrad.

"There is no question that you diminish the focus on capturing these guys when you dismantle the unit," said Dorgan.

"That is a canard," the CIA spokesman said.

September 7, 2006 in Osama bin Laden | Permalink | User Comments (16)

Pakistan Denies Bin Laden Gets a Pass

September 06, 2006 6:20 AM

Brian Ross Reports:

The government of Pakistan today denied it would allow Osama bin Laden to avoid capture under terms of a peace agreement it signed with Taliban leaders in the country's North Waziristan area.

"If he is in Pakistan, today or any time later, he will be taken into custody and brought to justice," the Pakistani ambassador to the United States, Mahmud Ali Durrani, said in a statement.

The ambassador said a Pakistani military spokesman, Major General Shaukat Sultan, had been "grossly misquoted" when he told ABC News Tuesday that bin Laden would not be taken into custody "as long as one is being like a peaceful citizen." The comments were recorded in a telephone interview with ABC News.

Q. ABC News: If bin Laden or Zawahiri were there, they could stay?

A. Gen. Sultan: No one of that kind can stay. If someone is there he will have to surrender, he will have to live like a good citizen, his whereabouts, exit travel would be known to the authorities.<p>

Q. ABC News: So, he wouldn't be taken into custody? He would stay there?<p>

A. Gen. Sultan: No, as long as one is staying like a peaceful citizen, one would not be taken into custody. One has to stay like a peaceful citizen and not allowed to participate in any kind of terrorist activity.

General Sultan said today it was "hair splitting" to speculate whether troops would be sent in if bin Laden was found in North Waziristan.

"If someone is found there, we will see what is to be done," General Sultan said today. "Pakistan is committed to the war on terror, and of course we will go after any terrorist found to be operating here," he said. 

Under the terms of the peace agreement, the Pakistani Army promised to cease action in the area and to return captured Taliban weapons and soldiers.

Former White House counter-terrorism czar Richard Clarke, an ABC News consultant, said "What this means is that the Taliban and al Queida leadership have effectively carved out a sanctuary inside Pakistan."

General Sultan said today he "rejected" the idea that Pakistan had created a safe haven for terrorists.

Read Brian Ross' Report "Pakistan Gives Bin Laden Free Pass."

September 6, 2006 in Osama bin Laden | Permalink | User Comments (37)

Pakistan Gives Bin Laden Free Pass

September 06, 2006 6:10 AM

Brian Ross Reports:

Osama bin Laden, America's most wanted man, will not face capture in Pakistan if he agrees to lead a "peaceful life," Pakistani officials tell ABC News.

The surprising announcement comes as Pakistani army officials announced they were pulling their troops out of the North Waziristan region as part of a "peace deal" with the Taliban.

If he is in Pakistan, bin Laden "would not be taken into custody," Major General Shaukat Sultan Khan told ABC News in a telephone interview, "as long as one is being like a peaceful citizen."

Bin Laden is believed to be hiding somewhere in the tribal areas of Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border, but U.S. officials say his precise location is unknown.

In addition to the pullout of Pakistani troops, the "peace agreement" between Pakistan and the Taliban also provides for the Pakistani army to return captured Taliban weapons and prisoners.

"What this means is that the Taliban and al Qaeda leadership have effectively carved out a sanctuary inside Pakistan," said ABC News consultant Richard Clarke, the former White House counter-terrorism director.

The agreement was signed on the same day President Bush said the United States was working with its allies "to deny terrorists the enclaves they seek to establish in ungoverned areas across the world."

The Pakistani Army had gone into Waziristan, under heavy pressure from the United States, but faced a series of humiliating defeats at the hands of the Taliban and al Qaeda fighters.

"They're throwing the towel," said Alexis Debat, who is a Senior Fellow at the Nixon Center and an ABC News consultant. "They're giving al Qaeda and the Taliban a blank check and saying essentially make yourselves at home in the tribal areas," Debat said.

September 6, 2006 in Osama bin Laden | Permalink | User Comments (18)

Another OBL Message Coming Soon

July 21, 2006 11:04 AM

From Our Sources:

A new Osama bin Laden message from al Qaeda's as-Sahab Institute for Media Production is to be released soon, according to IntelCenter, a private contractor providing counterterrorism support work to the intelligence community.

In his message, bin Laden will reportedly address events in Gaza and Lebanon. This message has been expected and is consistent with new efforts in 2006 by al Qaeda's senior leadership to be responsive in their messages to current developments.

July 21, 2006 in Osama bin Laden | Permalink | User Comments (141)

India on Bin Laden's Radar for Years

July 14, 2006 10:50 AM

Anna Schecter Reports:

While there have been no claims of responsibility for the Mumbai bombings earlier this week, India has been on Osama bin Laden's radar since Sept. 11, 2001.

By calling for jihad against India, bin Laden has aligned himself with militant Islamic groups that seek independence for the disputed Kashmir region from India.

In his latest audio message broadcast by Al Jazeera on April 23, 2006, bin Laden refers to a "Crusader-Zionist-Hindu War against Muslims." 

He calls President Bush "the leader of the Crusaders' campaign" and blasts Bush for getting involved in Pakistan's affairs in the region, saying Bush ordered "his converted agent," referring to Pakistan Pres. Pervez Musharraf, to shut down the Kashmir Mujahedeen camps, "thus affirming the Zionist-Hindu war against Muslims."

Bin Laden also calls on all Muslims around the world to give "all types of material support" to establish jihad in Kashmir. He says Muslims will commit a sin if they "do not provide adequate material support for jihad."

In fact, a number of the Kashmiri separatist groups do have explicit links with bin Laden's terrorist network.

"It was a coordinated, multiple, synchronized mass casualty atrocity," says Sajjan Gohel of the Asia Pacific Foundation. "These are often the hallmarks of a powerful transnational group…a group that's affiliated with the ideology and ideas of Osama bin Laden."

July 14, 2006 in Osama bin Laden | Permalink | User Comments (0)

New Bin Laden Audio Tape To Be Released

June 30, 2006 6:10 PM

Rhonda Schwartz Reports:

Another Osama bin Laden audio tape is expected to be released within the next 72 hours.

According to Ben Venzke of the IntelCenter, a government contractor that monitors Arabic language websites, al Qaeda's as-Sahab Institute for Media Production has begun teasing the upcoming release of the message entitled "To the General Ummah & Especially to the Mujahideen in Iraq and Somalia."

The new release would most likely follow the format of previous messages and contain an audio statement from bin Laden accompanied by still photos or stock video footage.

This would be the fifth statement by Osama bin Laden this year.

June 30, 2006 in Osama bin Laden | Permalink | User Comments (2)

New Bin Laden Audio Tape: Osama Speaks on the Death of Zarqawi

June 28, 2006 5:08 PM

Rhonda Schwartz and Maddy Sauer Report:

A new Osama bin Laden audio is expected to be released within three days. On the tape, bin Laden will talk about the death of Abu Musab Zarqawi. More details to come.

The audio is about 5 minutes in length. This is the fourth time we have heard an audio message from bin Laden this year. The last time we heard from him was following the sentencing of Zacarias Moussaoui for the 9/11 attacks. Bin Laden claimed that he had not assigned Moussaoui to be a part of the attacks.

That tape came 19 days after the sentencing of Moussaoui and was considered a quick turnaround for one of his tapes, which are believed to pass through numerous couriers on their way to Al Jazeera network.

The news of Zarqawi's death came three weeks ago on June 8. 

June 28, 2006 in Osama bin Laden | Permalink | User Comments (256)

On to Bin Laden

June 09, 2006 5:17 PM

Brian Ross Reports:

The differences between the hunt for Bin Laden and Zarqawi involve geography, capability and ego.

The most recent reports of Bin Laden put him in a part of Pakistan where hiding is easy.

The frequent heavy cloud cover, as seen in today's weather map, makes satellite surveillance difficult, and bin Laden's captured aides say he knows it and takes advantage of it.

"At nighttime and during cloud cover is the optimal time to be moving around on the ground," explains Tim Brown, a satellite imagery analyst.

And unlike Iraq, there are steep mountains that can limit the line of sight of the CIA's low flying unmanned predators.

"They're going to be able to see what's directly below them and on the sides, but what's around the bend or on the other side of a mountain crest is going to be obscured," says Brown.

As for capability, U.S. troops are not free to operate in Pakistan as they are in Iraq.

And Pakistani troops have run into stiff resistance or been reluctant in their operations in the hostile tribal areas.

"This is why Bin Laden has been able to go on for so long and stay in hiding. He knows that area," says former CIA officer Bob Baer. 

Finally there's the question of ego.

Zarqawi's aggressive public posture, personally involving himself in every operation, allowed the U.S. to slowly but surely track his movements.

"Zarqawi's ego essentially led us to him. He put himself out there, he saw a lot of people, he liked to be in the media, and this is one of the quickest ways to get caught," Baer says.

And Zarqawi's operational security also had holes.

This captured Zarqawi lieutenant gave Jordanian and U.S. officials a list of houses last month.

Bin Laden has been much more careful, communicating only through a handful of bodyguards, and excluding even top aides from full knowledge of his movements and schedule.

June 9, 2006 in Osama bin Laden | Permalink | User Comments (16)

Bin Laden on Moussaoui

May 23, 2006 4:40 PM

Brian Ross Reports:

In an audio tape released on a website, a voice claiming to be Osama bin Laden claims Zacarias Moussaoui had nothing to do with the 9/ll attacks and, in fact, was not even aware they were to take place.

Moussaoui was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for failing to tell the FBI about the impending attacks when he was arrested two weeks before 9/ll.

"Had he known anything, however little, about the September 11th group," the voice says, "we would have told the brother Commander Mohammed Atta and his brothers to leave America immediately before their affair was exposed."

May 23, 2006 in Osama bin Laden | Permalink | User Comments (36)