Bin Laden Issue Station
The Bin Laden Issue Station, also known as Alec Station, was a standalone unit of the
Scheuer had noticed an increase in activity by Bin Laden in Afghanistan and the rise of a new organization known as al Qaeda, and suggested this be the focus of the station's work. Soon after its creation, the Station developed a deadly vision of bin Laden's activities and its work came to include the planning of
Conception, birth and growth
The idea was born from discussions within the CIA's senior management, and that of the CIA's
The Station opened in January 1996, as a unit under the CTC. Scheuer set it up and headed it from that time until spring 1999. The Station was an interdisciplinary group, drawing on personnel from the CIA, FBI, NSA, DIA and elsewhere in the intelligence community. Formally known as the Bin Ladin Issue Station, it was codenamed Alec Station after Scheuer's son's name, as referred to by DIA's Able Danger liaison Anthony Shaffer.[3] By 1999, the unit's staff had nicknamed themselves the "Manson Family", "because they had acquired a reputation for crazed alarmism about the rising al-Qaeda threat".[1]
The Station originally had twelve professional staff members, including CIA analyst Alfreda Frances Bikowsky and former FBI agent Daniel Coleman.[4] This figure grew to 40–50 employees by September 11, 2001. (The CTC as a whole had about 200 and 390 employees at the same dates.)[1]: 319, 456 [2]: 109, 479, n.2
CIA chief George Tenet later described the Station's mission as "to track [bin Laden], collect intelligence on him, run operations against him, disrupt his finances, and warn policymakers about his activities and intentions". By early 1999 the unit had "succeeded in identifying assets and members of Bin Laden's organization ...".[5]: 4, 18
New view of al-Qaeda, 1996–1998
Soon after its inception, the Station began to develop a new, deadlier vision of
Al-Fadl was persuaded to come to the United States by Jack Cloonan, an FBI special agent who had been seconded to the bin Laden Issue Station. There, from late 1996, under the protection of Cloonan and his colleagues, al-Fadl "provided a major breakthrough on the creation, character, direction and intentions of al Qaeda". "Bin Laden, the CIA now learned, had planned multiple terrorist operations and aspired to more"—including the acquisition of weapons-grade uranium. Another "walk-in" source (since identified as L'Houssaine Kherchtou) "corroborated" al-Fadl's claims. "By the summer of 1998", Scheuer would write, "we had accumulated an extraordinary array of information on [al-Qaeda] and its intentions." He goes on:
The reams of new information that the CIA's Bin Ladin unit had been developing since 1996 had not been pulled together and synthesized for the rest of the government. Indeed, analysts in the unit felt that they were viewed as alarmists even within the CIA. A National Intelligence Estimate on terrorism in 1997 had only briefly mentioned Bin Ladin, and no subsequent national estimate would authoritatively evaluate the terrorism danger until after 9/11. Policymakers knew there was a dangerous individual, Usama Bin Ladin, whom they had been trying to capture and bring to trial. Documents at the time referred to Bin Ladin "and his associates" or Bin Ladin and his "network." They did not emphasize the existence of a structured worldwide organization gearing up to train thousands of potential terrorists.[2]: 118
And further:
Al Qaeda operated as an organization in more than sixty countries, the CIA's Counterterrorist Center calculated by late 1999. Its formal, sworn, hard-core membership might number in the hundreds. Thousands more joined allied militias such as the [Afghan] Taliban or the Chechen rebel groups or Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines or the Islamic movement of Uzbekistan.[1]: 474
First capture plan and US embassy attacks, 1997–98
In May 1996, bin Laden moved from Sudan to Afghanistan. Scheuer saw the move as a (further) "stroke of luck". Though the CIA had virtually abandoned Afghanistan after the fall of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan in 1991, case officers had re-established some contacts while tracking down Kasi, the Pakistani gunman who had murdered two CIA employees in 1993. "One of the contacts was a group associated with particular tribes among Afghanistan's ethnic Pashtun community." The team, dubbed "TRODPINT" by the CIA, was provisioned with arms, equipment and cash by the CTC, and set up residence around Kandahar. Kasi was captured in June 1997. CTC chief Jeff O'Connell then "approved a plan to transfer the Afghans agent teams from the [CIA's] Kasi cell to the bin Laden unit".
By autumn 1997, the Station had roughed out a plan for TRODPINT to capture bin Laden and hand him over for trial, either to the US or an Arab country. In early 1998 the Cabinet-level Principals Committee apparently gave their blessing, but the scheme was abandoned in the spring for fear of collateral fatalities during a capture attempt.
In August 1998, militants truck-bombed the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. President Clinton ordered cruise-missile strikes on bin Laden's training camps in Afghanistan. But there was no "follow-up" action to these strikes.[1]: 371–6 [2]: 109–115
New leadership and a new plan, 1999
In December 1998, CIA chief Tenet "declared war" on Osama bin Laden.[1]: 436–7, 646, n.42 [2]: 357 Early in 1999, Tenet "ordered the CTC to begin a 'baseline' review of the CIA's operational strategy against bin Laden". In the spring he "demanded 'a new, comprehensive plan of attack' against bin Laden and his allies".
As an evident part of the new strategy, Tenet removed Michael Scheuer from the leadership of the Bin Laden Station. Later that year Scheuer would resign from the CIA. Tenet appointed Richard Blee, a "fast-track executive assistant" who "came directly from Tenet's leadership group", to have authority over the Station. "Tenet quickly followed this appointment with another: He named Cofer Black as director of the entire CTC."[1]: 451–2, 455–6 [2]: 14, 142, 204
The CTC produced a "comprehensive plan of attack" against bin Laden and "previewed the new strategy to senior CIA management by the end of July 1999. By mid-September, it had been briefed to CIA operational level personnel, and to [the]
[Cofer] Black and his new bin Laden unit wanted to "project" into Afghanistan, to "penetrate" bin Laden's sanctuaries. They described their plan as military officers might. They sought to surround Afghanistan with secure covert bases for CIA operations–as many bases as they could arrange. Then they would mount operations from each of the platforms, trying to move inside Afghanistan and as close to bin Laden as they could get to recruit agents and to attempt capture operations.[1]: 457
Black also arranged for a CIA team, headed by Alec Station chief Blee, to visit Northern Alliance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud to discuss operations against bin Laden. The mission was codenamed "JAWBREAKER-5", the fifth in a series of such missions since autumn 1997.[1]: 466 The team went in late October 1999. After the meeting, Alec Station believed that Massoud would be a second source of information on bin Laden.[2]: 142
[T]he CIA considered the possibility of putting U.S. personnel on the ground in Afghanistan. The CIA had been discussing this option with Special Operations Command and found enthusiasm on the working level but reluctance at higher levels. CIA saw a 95 percent chance of Special Operations Command forces capturing Bin Ladin if deployed – but less than a 5 percent chance of such a deployment.[2]: 143
Once Cofer Black had finalized his operational plan in the fall of 1999 to go after al-Qa'ida, Allen [the associate deputy director of central intelligence for collection] created a dedicated al-Qa'ida cell with officers from across the intelligence community. This cell met daily, brought focus to penetrating the Afghan sanctuary, and ensured that collection initiatives were synchronized with operational plans. Allen met with [Tenet] on a weekly basis to review initiatives under way. His efforts were enabling operations and pursuing longer-range, innovative initiatives around the world against al-Qa'ida.[7]
Tenet would testify that "by September 11, 2001, a map would show that these collection programs and human networks nearly covered Afghanistan."[5]: 17
Emergence of 9/11 hijackers
Beginning in September 1999, the CTC picked up multiple signs that bin Laden had set in motion major terrorist attacks for the turn of the year. The CIA set in motion the "largest collection and disruption activity in the history of mankind", as Cofer Black later put it. The CTC focused in particular on three groups of al Qaeda personnel: those known to have been involved in terrorist attacks; senior personnel both outside and inside Afghanistan, e.g., "operational planner Abu Zubaydah"; and "Bin Ladin deputy Muhammad Atef".[1]: 495–6 [2]: 174–80
Amid this activity, in November and December 1999,
Tracking the "Brooklyn cell"
At about this time the United States Special Operations Command-Defense Intelligence Agency (SOCOM-DIA) operation Able Danger identified a potential Qaeda unit, consisting of the future leading 9/11 hijackers Atta, al-Shehhi, al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi. It termed them the "Brooklyn cell", because of some associations with the New York district. Evidently at least some of the men were physically and legally present in the United States, since there was an ensuing legal tussle over the "right" of "quasi-citizens" not to be spied on.[8][9]
Tracking al-Hazmi and al-Mihdhar
In late 1999, the National Security Agency (NSA), following up information from the FBI's investigation of the 1998 US embassy attacks, picked up traces of "an operational cadre", consisting of Nawaf al-Hazmi, his companion Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf's younger brother Salem, who were planning to go to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in January 2000. Seeing a connection with the attacks, a CTC officer sought permission to surveil the men.[1]: 487–8 [2]: 181
[W]e've got to tell the Bureau about this. These guys clearly are bad. One of them, at least, has a multiple-entry visa to the U.S. We've got to tell the FBI." And then [the CIA officer] said to me, 'No, it's not the FBI's case, not the FBI's jurisdiction.'
Mark Rossini, "The Spy Factory"[10]
The CIA tracked al-Hazmi and al-Mihdhar as they traveled to and attended the al-Qaeda summit in Kuala Lumpur during the first week of January 2000. "The Counterterrorist Center had briefed the CIA leadership on the gathering in Kuala Lumpur ... The head of the Bin Ladin unit [Richard] kept providing updates", unaware at first that the information was out-of-date.[citation needed]
When two FBI agents assigned to the station, Mark Rossini and Doug Miller, learned that al-Hazmi and al-Mihdhar had entry visas to the United States, they attempted to alert the FBI. CIA officials in management positions over the FBI agents denied their request to pass along this information to FBI headquarters.[10] Michael Scheuer would later deny this, instead blaming the FBI for not having a "useable computer system".[11]
In March 2000, it was learned that al-Hazmi had flown to Los Angeles. The men were not registered with the State Department's TIPOFF list, nor was the FBI told.[2]: 181–2, 383–4
There are also allegations that the CIA surveilled Mohamed Atta in Germany from the time he returned there in January/February 2000, until he left for the US in June 2000.[12]
Analysis of the CIA's withholding of information
According to
Predator drone, 2000–2001
In spring 2000, officers from the Bin Laden Station joined others in pressing for "Afghan Eyes", the
Resumption of flights in 2001 was delayed by arguments over an armed Predator. A drone equipped with adapted "Hellfire" anti-tank missiles could be used to try to kill bin Laden and other Qaeda leaders. Cofer Black and the bin Laden unit were among the advocates. But there were both legal and technical issues. In the summer the CIA "conducted classified war games at Langley ... to see how its chain of command might responsibly oversee a flying robot that could shoot missiles at suspected terrorists"; a series of live-fire tests in the Nevada desert (involving a mockup of bin Laden's Tarnak residence) produced mixed results.
Tenet advised cautiously on the matter at a meeting of the Cabinet-level Principals Committee on September 4, 2001. If the Cabinet wanted to empower the CIA to field a lethal drone, Tenet said, "they should do so with their eyes wide open, fully aware of the potential fallout if there were a controversial or mistaken strike". National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice concluded that the armed Predator was required, but evidently not ready. It was agreed to recommend to the CIA to resume reconnaissance flights. The "previously reluctant" Tenet then ordered the Agency to do so. The CIA was now "authorized to deploy the system with weapons-capable aircraft, but for reconnaissance missions only", since the host nation (presumably Uzbekistan) "had not agreed to allow flights by weapons-carrying aircraft".
Subsequent to 9/11, approval was quickly granted to ship the missiles, and the Predator aircraft and missiles reached their overseas location on September 16, 2001. The first mission was flown over Kabul and [Kandahar] on September 18 without carrying weapons. Subsequent host nation approval was granted on October 7 and the first armed mission was flown on the same day.[1]: 580–1 [2]: 210–14, 513, n.258 [5]: 15–6 [14]
After 9/11
Shortly after
After the September 11 attacks, staff numbers at the Station were expanded into the hundreds. Scheuer claimed the expansion was a "shell game" played with temporary (and inexperienced) staff, and that the core personnel "remained at under 30, the size it was when Scheuer left office in 1999".[16] (As we have seen, professional staff numbers grew to 40 to 50 by the eve of 9/11.)
After 9/11, "Hendrik V.", and later "Marty M.", were chiefs of Alec Station's Bin Laden Unit.[17]
The Bin Laden Station was disbanded in late 2005.[18]
Bin Laden was eventually located in
See also
- MQ-1 Predator
- Location of Osama bin Laden
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Coll, Steve (2004). Ghost Wars. Penguin Books.
- ^ ISBN 0-393-32671-3.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) 9/11 Commission website - ^ Inside Able Danger (Shaffer interview), Government Security News, August 2005.
- ISBN 978-0307456298.
- ^ a b c Tenet, George (March 24, 2004). "Written Statement for the Record of the Director of Central Intelligence" (PDF). 9/11 Commission.
- ^ Marshall, Andrew (November 1, 1998). "Terror 'blowback' burns CIA". Independent (UK).
- ISBN 9780061147784.
- ^ "Inside Able Danger" (Shaffer interview) Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Government Security News, August 2005
- ^ "Inside the Ring". The Washington Times.
- ^ PBS. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
- ^ Bill and Dick, Osama and Sandy, Michael Scheuer, Washington Times, 2006, July 4
- ^ "January–May 2000: CIA Has Atta Under Surveillance", Able Danger Archived December 13, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, from Complete 9/11 Timeline, Center for Cooperative Research
- ^ Salon, 14 Oct. 2011, "Insiders Voice Doubts about CIA's 9/11 Story: Former FBI Agents Say the Agency's Bin Laden Unit Misled Them about Two Hijackers"
- ^ Gellman, Barton (January 20, 2002). "A Strategy's Cautious Evolution". The Washington Post.
- ^ Dana Priest, "Former Chief of CIA's Bin Laden Unit Leaves", The Washington Post, November 12, 2004, p. A04
- ^ Julian Borger, "We could have stopped him", The Guardian (UK), August 20, 2004.
- ^ Tenet, At The Center Of The Storm, p. 232.
- ^ Mazzetti, Mark (July 4, 2006). "C.I.A. Closes Unit Focused on Capture of bin Laden". The New York Times. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
- ^ Miller, Greg (May 5, 2011). "CIA spied on bin Laden from safe house". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
- ^ Cooper, Helene (May 1, 2011). "Obama Announces Killing of Osama bin Laden". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 3, 2011. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
Further reading
- Steve Coll, Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, From the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001, Penguin, 2005. (This is an updated version of the original, Penguin, 2004.)
- 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, July 2004
- A Review of the FBI's Handling of Intelligence Information Related to the September 11 Attacks Archived August 26, 2013, at the Wayback Machine: Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, Special Report, November 2004, Released Publicly June 2006
- Jack Cloonan interview, PBS, July 13, 2005
- Michael Scheuer interview, PBS, July 21, 2005
- Bin Laden Trail 'Stone Cold' The Washington Post September 10, 2006
- After a Decade at War With West, Al-Qaeda Still Impervious to Spies The Washington Post March 20, 2008
- How Osama bin Laden Slipped from our Grasp: The Definitive Account by Peter Bergen, The New Republic, December 22, 2009