Dirty Wars

by Jeremy Scahill

216 “Pakistanis looked the other way”: Author interview, Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Shaffer, May 2011.

  216 grown by 60 percent: Ann Scott Tyson, “New Plans Foresee Fighting Terrorism Beyond War Zones,” Washington Post, April 23, 2006.

  217 “bitter disagreements”: Mark Mazzetti and David Rohde, “Amid U.S. Policy Disputes, Qaeda Grows in Pakistan,” New York Times, June 30, 2008.

  217 “unprovoked and cowardly”: Kamran Haider, “Pakistan Condemns ‘Cowardly’ US Attack; Eleven Dead,” Reuters, June 11, 2008.

  217 approved a secret order: Eric Schmitt and Mark Mazzetti, “Bush Said to Give Orders Allowing Raids in Pakistan,” New York Times, September 10, 2008.

  217 “Bill rapidly expanded operations”: Author interview, Special Operations source, August 2010.

  218 Angoor Adda: Christina Lamb, “Playing with Firepower,” Sunday Times (London), September 14, 2008.

  218 “two dozen suspected Qaeda fighters”: Schmitt and Mazzetti, “Bush Said to Give Orders Allowing Raids in Pakistan.”

  218 according to local villagers: Lamb, “Playing with Firepower.”

  218 “gross violation of Pakistan’s territory”: US diplomatic cable 08ISLAMABAD2907, from Ambassador Anne Patterson, US Embassy Islamabad, “GOP Condemns Alleged ISAF September 3 Incident in South Waziristan,” September 3, 2008, released by WikiLeaks, http://wikileaks.org/cable/2008/09/08ISLAMABAD2907.html.

  22: “Every Step Taken by the US Benefited al Shabab”

  219 near Dire Dawa: Eric Schmitt and Mark Mazzetti, “Secret Order Lets U.S. Raid Al Qaeda,” New York Times, November 9, 2008.

  219 “It’s kinetic”: Author interview, Malcolm Nance, May 2011.

  219 unarmed US Predator drone: David Axe, “Hidden History: America’s Secret Drone War in Africa,” Danger Room (blog), Wired.com, August 13, 2012, www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/08/somalia-drones/all/.

  219 strafed the convoy: Jeffrey Gettleman, “More Than Fifty Die in U.S. Strikes in Somalia,” New York Times, January 9, 2007.

  219 Reports suggested: Michael R. Gordon and Mark Mazzetti, “U.S. Used Base in Ethiopia to Hunt Al Qaeda,” New York Times, February 23, 2007.

  219 “al Qaeda leader”: Gettleman, “More Than Fifty Die in U.S. Strikes in Somalia.”

  219 bloodied passport: Gordon and Mazzetti, “U.S. Used Base in Ethiopia to Hunt Al Qaeda.”

  220 “near the Kenyan border”: US diplomatic cable 07ADDISABABA90, from Ambassador Donald Yamamoto, US Embassy Addis Ababa, “Scenesetter for Deputy USTR Allgeier’s Visit to Ethiopia,” January 12, 2007, released by WikiLeaks, http://wikileaks.org/cable/2007/01/07ADDISABABA90.html.

  220 took credit: “US Somali Air Strikes ‘Kill Many,’” BBC.co.uk, January 9, 2007.

  220 “Qaeda Clobbered”: Andy Soltis, “Qaeda Clobbered; U.S. Somalia Raid Kills Embassy Fiend,” New York Post, January 11, 2007.

  220 randomly killed: Alex Perry, “Somalia on the Edge,” Time, November 29, 2007.

  220 “no combatants amongst them”: Aaron Glantz, “U.S. Air Strikes in Somalia Condemned for Killing Innocent Civilians,” OneWorld US, January 20, 2007.

  220 “paying the price”: Anne Penketh and Steve Bloomfield, “US Strikes on al-Qa’ida Chiefs Kill Nomads,” Independent (London), January 13, 2007.

  221 US-designated terrorist: “Individuals and Entities Designated by the State Department Under E.O. 13224,” Bureau of Counterterrorism, US Department of State, December 17, 2012, www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/143210.htm.

  221 “helped the Americans easily trace us”: Author interview, Sheikh Ahmed “Madobe” Mohammed Islam, June 2011. All quotations of Madobe are from the author’s interview.

  222 “The Ambassador told Sharif”: US diplomatic cable 07NAIROBI5403, from Ambassador Michael Ranneberger, US Embassy Nairobi, “Sheikh Sharif and the Future Role of the Islamic Courts Moderates,” January 2, 2007, released by WikiLeaks, http://wikileaks.org/cable/2007/01/07NAIROBI5403.html.

  222 “preferable to co-opt”: US diplomatic cable 07ADDISABABA311, from Ambassador Donald Yamamoto, US Embassy Addis Ababa, “PM Meles Highlights Land Reform as Key to Clan Reconciliation and Political Stability in Somalia,” February 1, 2007, released by WikiLeaks, http://wikileaks.org/cable/2007/02/07ADDISABABA311.html.

  222 escaped from Somalia to Kenya: Jeffrey Gettleman, “Somali Islamists’ No. Two Leader Surrenders in Kenyan Capital,” New York Times, January 23, 2007.

  222 “working with the CIA”: Author interview, Ali Mohamed Gedi, June 2011.

  222 In Yemen: “Somali Islamist Travels to Yemen,” BBC.co.uk, February 8, 2007.

  222 “at least 150”: Human Rights Watch, “Why Am I Still Here? The 2007 Horn of Africa Renditions and the Fate of Those Still Missing” (2008). All information about renditions attributed to Human Rights Watch comes from this report.

  223 sent to Guantánamo: Human Rights Watch, “Why Am I Still Here?” p. 4. Kenyan national Mohammed Abulmalik was arrested in Mombasa in February 2007 and ultimately ended up in the prison in Guantánamo Bay.

  223 left his family: Clint Watts, Jacob Shapiro, and Vahid Brown, “Al-Qaida’s (Mis) Adventures in the Horn of Africa,” Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, July 2, 2007, Appendix B: Cast of Characters from the Horn of Africa, p. 99.

  223 “as the lions eat their prey”: Lydia Khalil, “Foreign Fighters Face Obstacles Joining the Somali Jihad,” Terrorism Focus 4 (24) (July 25, 2007), www.jamestown.org/single/?-no_cache=1&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=4326.

  224 “help of all these foreign fighters”: Author interview, Yusuf Mohamed Siad, June 2011. Quotations of Indha Adde come from the author’s interview unless otherwise noted.

  224 went underground: Garowe Online, “Islamists Do Not Recognize ‘Colonial Government,’ Says War Chief,” Biyokulule.com, December 10, 2007; “US Warns Eritrea over ‘Terrorism’; Asmara Told to Stop Supporting Somalia Fighters to Avoid ‘Terrorism Sponsor’ Label,” AlJazeera.com, September 9, 2007.

  224 receiving support: Matt Bryden, Gilbert Charles Barthe, Charles Lengalenga, and Ignatius Yaw Kwantwi-Mensah, “Report of the Monitoring Group on Somalia Pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1811 (2008),” UN Security Council, December 10, 2008, p. 25.

  224 snipers, disproportionate fire: Human Rights Watch, “Shell-Shocked: Civilians Under Siege in Mogadishu,” August 13, 2007, www.hrw.org/reports/2007/08/12/shell-shocked.

  224 “like goats”: Amnesty International, “Routinely Targeted: Attacks on Civilians in Somalia,” May 6, 2008, www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AFR52/006/2008.

  224 large proportion of those: Ibid.

  224 Some 6,000 civilians: Ibid. The report cites estimates from Somalia-based Elman Human Rights Organization, and the UN, respectively.

  224 335,000 Somali refugees: “Somalia—Complex Emergency, Situation Report No. 1, Fiscal Year 2008,” USAID, December 20, 2007, http://transition.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/disaster_assistance/countries/somalia/template/fs_sr/somalia_ce_sr01_12-20-2007.pdf.

  224 “major problem”: Author interview, Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, March 2011. All quotations from Gartenstein-Ross come from the author’s interview, unless otherwise noted.

  225 “break that they were looking for”: Author interview, Abdirahman, “Aynte” Ali, June 2011. All quotations from Aynte come from the author’s interview, unless otherwise noted.

  225 four-day battle: Salad Duhul (AP), “Somali Fighting Kills 381; Government Warns of New Offensive,” Deseret News, April 2, 2007.

  225 dragged Ethiopian soldiers: “Crowd Drags Ethiopian Corpse, Echoing 1993 Brutality,” CNN.com, November 8, 2007.

  225 Toyota Land Cruiser: “Somali Prime Minister Survives Bomb Attack,” CNN.com, June 3, 2007.

  225 “tremendous success”: “Interview: Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi,” by Alex Perry, Time, September 6, 2007, www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1659420,00.html.

  226 officially designated: “Designation of al-Shabaab as a Foreign Terrorist Organization,” Of
fice of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, US Department of State, February 26, 2008, www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/102446.htm.

  226 missile strikes: Agence France-Presse, “US Missile Strike Targets ‘Al-Qaeda Leader’ in Somalia,” March 3, 2008; Jeffrey Gettleman and Eric Schmitt, “U.S. Forces Fire Missiles into Somalia at a Kenyan,” New York Times, March 4, 2008.

  226 five Tomahawk cruise missiles: Stephanie McCrummen and Karen DeYoung, “U.S. Airstrike Kills Somali Accused of Links to Al-Qaeda,” Washington Post, May 2, 2008.

  226 weeks of surveillance: Eric Schmitt and Jeffrey Gettleman, “Qaeda Leader Reported Killed in Somalia,” New York Times, May 2, 2008.

  226 bodies of sixteen people: McCrummen and DeYoung, “U.S. Airstrike Kills Somali Accused of Links to Al-Qaeda.”

  226 bio of their slain leader: Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, “The Strategic Challenge of Somalia’s Al-Shabaab,” Middle East Quarterly (fall 2009), www.meforum.org/2486/somalia-al-shabaab-strategic-challenge#_ftn22.

  226 “short-term disruption”: US diplomatic cable 08NAIROBI1363, from Ambassador Michael Ranneberger, US Embassy Nairobi, “Somalia—Ayrow’s Demise,” June 3, 2008, released by WikiLeaks, http://wikileaks.org/cable/2008/06/08NAIROBI1363.html.

  226 agreement signed in Djibouti: United Nations Security Council Department of Public Information, “Security Council, in Presidential Statement, Welcomes Signing of Djibouti Agreement on Reconciliation by Parties to Somalia Conflict,” UN Security Council press release, September 4, 2008.

  227 refused to discuss: Author interview, President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, June 2011.

  227 “favorite puppet”: Abdirahman “Aynte” Ali, “The Anatomy of al Shabaab,” unpublished paper, June 2010, www.radiodaljir.com/audio/docs/TheAnatomyOfAlShabaab.pdf.

  227 indigenous diversity: Ibid., p. 28.

  227 sense of empowerment: Ibid., p. 20.

  228 diplomatic “visits”: International Crisis Group, “Somalia: To Move Beyond the Failed State,” Africa Report No. 147, December 23, 2008, p. 12.

  228 lengthy negotiations: Ibid., pp. 12–13.

  228 dismantling of roadblocks: Mark Bradbury, “State-Building, Counterterrorism, and Licensing Humanitarianism in Somalia,” briefing paper, Feinstein International Center, October 2010.

  228 “a caricature”: International Crisis Group, “Somalia: To Move Beyond the Failed State,” p. 14.

  228 reminiscent of the Taliban: Ibid.

  228 “the only organization”: Committee on Foreign Relations, Al Qaeda in Yemen and Somalia: A Ticking Time Bomb, S. Prt. 111-40, p. 16 (2010).

  228 “far more popular”: Ali, “The Anatomy of al Shabaab,” p. 37.

  229 “Fight on, Champions”: Khaled Wassef (CNET), “Bin Laden Urges Somalis to ‘Fight On,’” CBS.com, March 19, 2009.

  23: “If Your Son Does Not Come to Us, He Will Be Killed by the Americans”

  230 discovered a US spy drone: US diplomatic cable 07SANAA473, from Chargé d’Affaires Nabeel Khoury, US Embassy Sana’a, “Unmanned USG Aircraft Washes Ashore, Official Media Reports Downed Iranian ‘Spy Plane,’” April 2, 2007, released by WikiLeaks, http://wikileaks.org/cable/2007/04/07SANAA473.html. Descriptions of the drone incident are based on this cable.

  230 floating prison: David Campbell and Richard Norton-Taylor, “US Accused of Holding Terror Suspects on Prison Ships,” Guardian, June 1, 2008.

  230 against oil and gas facilities: Hassan M. Fattah, “Suicide Attacks Foiled at Two Oil Sites, Yemen Says,” New York Times, September 16, 2006.

  230 chief criminal investigator: Gregory D. Johnsen, “Is Al-Qaeda in Yemen Regrouping?” Terrorism Focus 4 (15) (May 30, 2007), www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=4174.

  230 audiotaped message: Yemen: Confronting al-Qaeda, Preventing State Failure, Hearing Before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 111th Cong. 53 (2010) (prepared testimony of Gregory D. Johnsen).

  231 convoy of Spanish tourists: Ahmed al-Hajj (AP), “Suicide Attacker Kills Nine at Yemen Temple,” Washington Post, July 2, 2007. According to Johnsen in his Senate testimony, the death toll was ultimately higher than originally reported.

  231 went home to his family: Author interviews, family members, January 2012.

  231 “I would like to travel”: “Moazzam Begg Interviews Imam Anwar al-Awlaki,” Cageprisoners, December 31, 2007, www.cageprisoners.com/our-work/interviews/item/159-moazzam-begg-interviews-imamanwar-al-awlaki.

  231 “truth of the matter”: Anwar al Awlaki, “The Lies of the Telegraph,” Imam Anwar’s Blog, anwar-alawlaki.com, December 27, 2008.

  231 “a few opportunities”: “Moazzam Begg Interviews Imam Anwar al-Awlaki,” Cageprisoners, December 31, 2007.

  231 “In the old times”: Anwar al Awlaki, “Assalamu alaykum all,” Imam Anwar’s Blog, anwar-alawlaki.com, May 31, 2008.

  232 “Do You Like Cheese?”: Anwar al Awlaki, “Do You Like Cheese?” Imam Anwar’s Blog, anwar-alawlaki.com, November 25, 2008.

  232 “If you are a person”: Anwar al Awlaki, “Is the Franklin Morphing into the Washington?!” Imam Anwar’s Blog, anwar-alawlaki.com, October 6, 2008.

  232 “do not try to infiltrate”: Anwar al Awlaki, “A Question About the Method of Establishing Khilafa,” Imam Anwar’s Blog, anwar-alawlaki.com, August 29, 2008.

  233 “an interesting assortment of sins”: Awlaki, “Is the Franklin Morphing into the Washington?!”

  233 “There is good reason to believe”: Susan Schmidt, “Imam from Va. Mosque Now Thought to Have Aided al-Qaeda,” Washington Post, February 27, 2008.

  233 believed to have been recorded: Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens, “As American as Apple Pie: How Anwar al-Awlaki Became the Face of Western Jihad,” The International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence, 2011, p. 55.

  233 first operational leader: International Crisis Group, “Saudi Arabia Backgrounder: Who Are the Islamists?” Middle East Report No. 31, September 21, 2004, p. 13.

  234 “Whenever you see the word terrorist”: Anwar al Awlaki, “Constants on the Path of Jihad,” 2005.

  234 “al Awlaki crosses this bridge”: Author interview, Dr. Emile Nakhleh, January 2010. All quotations of Nakhleh come from the author’s interview.

  234 “The Americans were very, very angry”: Author interview, Sheikh Saleh bin Fareed, January 2012. All quotations of bin Fareed come from the author’s interview.

  234 “He was harassed”: Author interview, Nasser al Awlaki, January 2012. All information and statements attributed to Awlaki come from this interview, unless otherwise noted.

  235 “surveillance and harassment”: Shaykh Harith al Nadari, “My Story with al-Awlaki,” Inspire 9 (winter 2012), released May 2012.

  235 go to Ataq: Author interviews with family members, January 2012.

  235 “you put me in jail”: Author interview, Sheikh Saleh bin Fareed, January 2012.

  235 the family’s small village: Author interviews, Awlaki family members, August 2012.

  235 telling friends and family: Ibid.

  235 kamikaze attack: Shane Bauer, “U.S. Embassy Hit in Yemen, Raising Militancy Concerns,” Christian Science Monitor, September 18, 2008.

  236 “This attack is a reminder”: Agence France-Presse, “Bush Says Yemen Attack Shows Need to Fight Extremists,” September 17, 2008.

  236 met in Qatar: Nominations Before the Senate Armed Services Committee: Hearings on the Nominations of Gen. David D. McKeirnan; LTG. Raymond T. Odierno; LTG Walter L. Sharp; Gen. David H. Petraeus; Hon. Nelson M. Ford; Joseph A. Benkert; Sean J. Stackley; Frederick S. Celec; Michael B. Doley; Gen. Norton A. Schwartz; and Gen. Duncan J. McNabb, Day 3, Before the Armed Services Committee, 110th Congress, 145 (2008) (testimony of Gen. David H. Petraeus).

  236 “It just reminds us”: Athena Jones, “Obama Discusses Yemen Attack,” National-Journal.com, September 17, 2008.

  236 “seems to have stabilized”: Michael Sheuer, “Yemen’s Role in al-Qaeda’s Strategy,” Terrorism Focu
s 5 (5) (February 7, 2008), www.jamestown.org/programs/gta/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=4708&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=246&no_cache=1.

  236 “US money starts flowing”: Author interview, former senior counterterrorism official, January 2011.

  237 “targeting and then killing people”: Author interview, former JSOC aide, 2010.

  237 “There was no such thing”: Associated Press, “McCain, Obama Spar over Al Qaeda in Iraq,” CBSNews.com, June 18, 2009.

  237 “the least of the two evils”: Anwar al Awlaki. “Voting for the American President,” Imam Anwar’s Blog, anwar-alawlaki.com, October 31, 2008.

  238 “very little difference”: Anwar al Awlaki, “Part 2: Voting for the American President,” Imam Anwar’s Blog, anwar-awlaki.com, November 3, 2008.

  238 “an al-Qaeda supporter”: Gordon Rayner, “Muslim Groups ‘Linked to September 11 Hijackers Spark Fury over Conference,’” Telegraph, December 27, 2008.

  238 “This is a baseless claim”: Anwar al Awlaki, “The Lies of the Telegraph,” Imam Anwar’s Blog, anwar-alawlaki.com, December 27, 2008.

  238 plot to attack Fort Dix: Evan Kohlmann, “Investigating Ft. Hood: Anwar al-Awlaki’s ‘Constants on the Path of Jihad,’” Counterterrorism Blog, November 9, 2009, http://counterterrorismblog.org/2009/11/investigating_ft_hood_anwar_al.php.

  238 traveled to Somalia: Andrea Elliott, “A Call to Jihad, Answered in America,” New York Times, July 11, 2009.

  239 “fills our hearts”: Anwar al Awlaki, “Salutations to the al-Shabab of Somalia,” Imam Anwar’s Blog, anwar-alawlaki.com, December 21, 2008.

  239 “beloved Sheikh Anwar”: “Al-Shabaab: Reply to the Greeting and Advice of Sheikh Anwar,” Imam Anwar’s Blog, anwar-alawlaki.com, December 27, 2008.

  239 “The illegal state of Israel”: Anwar al Awlaki, “The Meaning of Gaza,” Imam Anwar’s Blog, anwar-alawlaki.com, December 28, 2008.

  240 “There are many soldiers”: Nidal Hasan, e-mail to Anwar Awlaki, December 17, 2008, published by Intelwire on July 19, 2012, http://news.intelwire.com/2012/07/the-following-e-mails-between-maj.html.

  240 “condenses the Al Qaeda philosophy”: Scott Shane, “Born in U.S., a Radical Cleric Inspires Terror,” New York Times, November 18, 2009.