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Gold9472
07-07-2008, 06:51 PM
Additions To The 9/11 Timeline As Of July 6, 2008

Kevin Fenton
7/7/2008

The majority of new entries this week deal with Pakistan and its relations with al-Qaeda after 9/11. The Pakistani government allowed al-Qaeda and the Taliban to regroup (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a1201regroupwaziristan&scale=0#a1201regroupwaziristan) in its tribal region, which was assisted by the US's failure to fund reform of Islamist education (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=alate2001madrassareform&scale=0#alate2001madrassareform) in Pakistan and to monitor Taliban strongholds (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a2002nomonitortaliban&scale=0#a2002nomonitortaliban). Suicide bombings dramatically increased in Afghanistan (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a2004suicidebombings&scale=0#a2004suicidebombings) starting in 2004, partly because one top militant leader was allowed to operate openly in Pakistan (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a012504khalil&scale=0#a012504khalil), and a detainee released form Guantanamo became an important Taliban leader (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a0304mehsud&scale=0#a0304mehsud).

President Musharraf falsely claimed (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a072505musharrafsmashed&scale=0#a072505musharrafsmashed) al-Qaeda had been smashed in Pakistan in 2005, but Taliban and al-Qaeda control of Pakistan's tribal region increased in 2006 (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a2006tribalregions&scale=0#a2006tribalregions), partly because the US ignored a NATO report saying the ISI was behind militant attacks (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a070906natoreport&scale=0#a070906natoreport) and Pakistan released thousands of extremists (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=aautumn2006militantsreleased&scale=0#aautumn2006militantsreleased). President Bush supported a deal with the Taliban (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a090706bushwaziristan&scale=0#a090706bushwaziristan) in late 2006, but the deal failed to produce the desired results (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a1106dealfailure&scale=0#a1106dealfailure).

The US tracked an al-Qaeda leader in Pakistan for months without trying to capture him (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=aearly06yazidmissed&scale=0#aearly06yazidmissed), a NATO commander admitted the Taliban was headquartered in Pakistan (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a092106jones&scale=0#a092106jones) and the director of national intelligence said al-Qaeda was regrouping from a "secure hide-out" (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a011107securehideout&scale=0#a011107securehideout) in Pakistan. Shortly after this, in early 2007 the head of Pakistan's supreme court was arrested (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a030907chaudhryarrested&scale=0#a030907chaudhryarrested), causing unrest, although US policy to Pakistan, controlled by Vice President Cheney (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a062707cheneyincharge&scale=0#a062707cheneyincharge), did not alter.

Over a hundred people were killed in the Red Mosque siege (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a070307redmosque&scale=0#a070307redmosque), at which, according to the Sunday Times, al-Qaeda directed the militants (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a071507alqaedaredmosque&scale=0#a071507alqaedaredmosque). Pakistani security services and local militants then started fighting each other (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a071101civilwar&scale=0#a071101civilwar), and the army launched an offensive (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a071907armyoffensive&scale=0#a071907armyoffensive) against extremists in the tribal belt. US intelligence concluded that the safe haven (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a071807niesafehaven&scale=0#a071807niesafehaven) was helping radicals in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and presidential candidate Barrack Obama said troops should be sent into Pakistan to hunt terrorists, even without Pakistan's permission (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a080107obamapakistan&scale=0#a080107obamapakistan).

In late 2007, 300 Pakistani soldiers were taken hostage and then swapped for 28 militants (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a083007convoykidnap&scale=0#a083007convoykidnap), and a deal with Benazir Bhutto (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a100407bhuttodeal&scale=0#a100407bhuttodeal) enabled Musharraf to be reelected president (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a100607musharrafwin&scale=0#a100607musharrafwin). Bhutto then returned to Pakistan, surviving an initial assassination attempt (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a101907bhuttoreturn&scale=0#a101907bhuttoreturn). However, Musharraf imposed a state of emergency (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a110307emergency&scale=0#a110307emergency).

A group of potential suicide bombers arrested in Spain in January 2008 had all trained in Pakistan's tribal region (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a011908barcelonaarrests&scale=0#a011908barcelonaarrests), where Spain had an informer (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=alate0108asim&scale=0#alate0108asim). Later in the year, Afghan President Hamid Karzai survived an attempt on his life (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a042708karzaiattempt&scale=0#a042708karzaiattempt), an al-Qaeda leader was killed in Pakistan's tribal region (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a051408damadolastrike&scale=0#a051408damadolastrike), and the Taliban freed hundreds of prisoners from a government jail (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a061308prisonescape&scale=0#a061308prisonescape).

Moving away from Pakistan, one group of new entries focuses on the 9/11 hijackers' visas. Some of the hijackers' passports had the same indicator of Islamist extremism as the 1993 World Trade bombers (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=abefore0293passportindicator&scale=0#abefore0293passportindicator). Saeed Alghamdi obtained his US visa at the consulate in Jeddah, although his passport may have contained fraudulent travel stamps (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a090400saeedalghamdifirstvisa&scale=0#a090400saeedalghamdifirstvisa), Mohand Alshehri obtained a visa despite not completing his application (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a102300mohandvisa&scale=0#a102300mohandvisa), and it is unclear where Hamza Alghamdi's visa was issued (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a101700hamzavisa&scale=0#a101700hamzavisa). Hani Hanjour's visa application was rejected in September 2000 (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a091000hanivisareject&scale=0#a091000hanivisareject), but he got a visa a couple of weeks later (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a092500hanigetsvisa&scale=0#a092500hanigetsvisa).

Some new entries deal with bin Laden's early career, in particular his interaction with a fellow traveler named Essam al Ridi. Al Ridi purchased equipment for the Arab Afghans in the US and Britain (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=aearly83ridibuys&scale=0#aearly83ridibuys) at a time the CIA was aware bin Laden was "tapping into" (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=aearly86ciaawareosama&scale=0#aearly86ciaawareosama) the anti-Soviet operation it was backing in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The CIA also penetrated bin Laden's bank (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a91waughbank&scale=0#a91waughbank) in the early 1990s and was probably aware when al Ridi crashed bin Laden's plane in the Sudan (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=aafter94ridiplanecrash&scale=0#aafter94ridiplanecrash). A bin Laden associate named Wadih El Hage also asked al Ridi for advice on his status with the FBI (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=asummer98elhageadvice&scale=0#asummer98elhageadvice) just before the 1998 embassy bombings.

There are also a number of miscellaneous entries this week. Deena Burnett, wife of one of the Flight 93 passengers, reportedly called the FBI (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a936deenacallsfbi&scale=0#a936deenacallsfbi) before the plane crashed, an attempt to duplicate 9/11 on the West Coast fizzled out (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a1001librarytowerplot&scale=0#a1001librarytowerplot), and the US refused to cooperate with Iran (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a2002iranianrequest&scale=0#a2002iranianrequest) on Islamist militants. Al-Qaeda deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri announced a merger (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a080506zawahirivideo&scale=0#a080506zawahirivideo) with an Egyptian group, although some of the group's members denied this, and called for a revolt (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a071107zawahiriredmosque&scale=0#a071107zawahiriredmosque) in Pakistan after the Red Mosque siege. Karl Rove was concerned about the 9/11 investigation (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a1102rovecommission&scale=0#a1102rovecommission) and asked Thomas Kean (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a121402rovekean&scale=0#a121402rovekean) if he would consider chairing the 9/11 Commission.

President Bush exaggerated his success (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=complete_911_timeline_5297&scale=0#complete_911_timeline_5297) against al-Qaeda in a 2004 presidential debate, and an article claimed Bush was focused on removing al-Qaeda's top leaders, but not interested in the root causes of terrorism (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a102204bushfocus&scale=0#a102204bushfocus), while John McCain thought bin Laden's intervention in the presidential race would favor Bush (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a103104littleboost&scale=0#a103104littleboost). Bush also exaggerated a list of foiled terrorist plots (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a100605tenplots&scale=0#a100605tenplots) in 2005 and used a 2002 plot to deflect criticism of NSA wiretapping (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a020906librarytower&scale=0#a020906librarytower) in 2006. Finally, Russian security services planted a much disputed bomb (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a092299ryazanbomb&scale=0#a092299ryazanbomb) in an apartment block in 1999.

Originally posted here (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/news.jsp?oid=140393703-613). Please also bear in mind that the History Commons is in need of donations (http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/donate.jsp).