Post by : Raina
Al-Fahim
In a startling account, ex-CIA officer John Kiriakou reveals that Osama bin Laden, the architect of the 9/11 attacks, fled Afghanistan while disguised as a woman, successfully evading US forces at Tora Bora. Kiriakou, who spent 15 years in the CIA focusing on counterterrorism in Pakistan, stated that a significant intelligence failure enabled bin Laden's flight.
Kiriakou noted that US forces were convinced they had cornered bin Laden in the Tora Bora mountains. “We believed we had Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda’s leadership trapped,” he disclosed in an interview with ANI. However, the translator for the Central Command chief was actually an Al-Qaeda operative who misled the US forces, persuading them to delay action for the purported evacuation of women and children.
When day broke, the caves were abandoned, allowing bin Laden to escape under the veil of night, disguised as a woman, ultimately making his way to Pakistan. He eluded capture for nearly ten years before being killed by US Navy SEALs in Abbottabad on May 2, 2011.
Kiriakou further elaborated on the strong ties between the US and then-President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, characterizing their relationship as one where Washington “effectively purchased Musharraf.” He explained that the US offered substantial financial and military support to ensure Musharraf permitted operations in Pakistan, even as the Pakistani government had to navigate its internal politics.
This new information sheds light on the failures that permitted bin Laden's escape post-9/11 and underscores the difficulties faced by the US in its counterterrorism missions in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Kiriakou’s insights highlight the human intelligence gaps and geopolitical intricacies that influenced the pursuit of bin Laden.
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