Dirty Wars

by Jeremy Scahill

  443 rumored to be developing: Christopher Drew, “Attack on Bin Laden Used Stealthy Helicopter That Had Been a Secret,” New York Times, May 5, 2011.

  443 “nap of the earth”: Bergen, Manhunt, p. 215.

  443 “Any time that you’ve got a mission”: Author interview, General Hugh Shelton, March 2011.

  443 Three MH-47 Chinooks: Bergen, Manhunt, p. 216.

  443 Kala Dhaka: Schmidle, “Getting Bin Laden.”

  443 twenty minutes: Bergen, Manhunt, p. 220.

  443 monitored the events: Ibid., p. 216.

  49: “We Got Him. We Got Him.”

  444 occasional question: Peter Bergen, Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for bin Laden—from 9/11 to Abbottabad (New York: Crown Publishers, 2012), p. 218.

  444 ten minutes: Mark Owen, with Kevin Maurer, No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden (New York: Dutton, 2012), p. 210.

  444 “Several of the houses we passed”: Ibid., pp. 210–211.

  444 “Looking down thirty feet into the compound”: Ibid., p. 6.

  444 high temperature, weight of the stealth system: Bergen, Manhunt, p. 218.

  444 “we’re going in”: Owen, No Easy Day, p. 8.

  445 “The helicopter shuddered”: Ibid., p. 214.

  445 “If any other part of the helicopter”: Ibid., p. 215.

  445 “My heart sank”: Ibid., p. 7.

  445 “That wasn’t in the script”: Interview with Barack Obama, History Channel special, Targeting Bin Laden, broadcast September 6, 2011.

  445 “Those were really intense moments”: Bergen, Manhunt, p. 219.

  445 “everyone went, like, ‘Whoa’”: Interview with Joe Biden, “Inside the Situation Room,” Rock Center, NBC, May 2, 2012.

  445 “We will now be amending”: Bergen, Manhunt, p. 220.

  446 “His demeanor did not change”: Interview with Ben Rhodes, History Channel special, Targeting Bin Laden, broadcast September 6, 2011.

  446 “a cool customer”: Interview with Barack Obama, “Inside the Situation Room,” Rock Center, NBC, May 2, 2012.

  446 “We had a sense that”: Interview with Barack Obama, History Channel special, Targeting Bin Laden.

  446 “He is dead”: Owen, No Easy Day, p. 222.

  446 “I spotted a pair of feet”: Ibid., p. 223.

  446 “The courier’s AK-47”: Bergen, Manhunt, p. 221.

  446 another group of SEALs: Owen, No Easy Day, p. 226.

  446 they fell out of contact: Nicholas Schmidle, “Getting Bin Laden: What Happened That Night in Abbottabad,” New Yorker, August 8, 2011.

  446 “big chunks of time”: Transcript, “Obama on bin Laden: The Full ‘60 Minutes’ Interview,” by Steve Kroft, 60 Minutes, CBS, May 4, 2011.

  447 “We were really in a blackout situation”: Interview with Barack Obama, Targeting Bin Laden.

  447 “were set at ninety-degree angles”: Owen, No Easy Day, p. 230.

  447 “Khalid”: Ibid., p. 231.

  447 “What was Khalid thinking”: Transcript, “Killing bin Laden,” 60 Minutes, CBS, September 9, 2012.

  447 fired two suppressed rounds: Owen, No Easy Day, p. 235.

  447 “In that second”: Phil Bronstein, “The Man Who Killed Osama bin Laden...Is Screwed,” Esquire, February 11, 2013, http://www.esquire.com/features/man-who-shot-osama-bin-laden-0313. The account of the SEAL who shot bin Laden differs from Bissonnette’s in a few key places. “The Shooter,” as he is called in the Esquire piece, says that the women were tackled in the hallway, and that bin Laden was alive and standing in the room when the SEAL shot him in the face. He also claims to have been certain of bin Laden’s identity on sight. In his book, Bissonnette appears to assume that bin Laden was fatally shot as the SEALs were coming up the stairs. The differences are likely attributable to the men’s different positions in the house on the night of bin Laden’s death, and readers are encouraged to review both sources.

  447 “We saw the man lying on the floor”: Owen, No Easy Day, p. 236.

  447 “A hole in his forehead”: Ibid., p. 239.

  448 “the American public doesn’t want to know”: Bronstein, “The Man Who Killed Osama bin Laden.”

  448 “With each swipe”: Owen, No Easy Day., p. 241.

  448 “This had been carefully planned”: Ibid., p. 245.

  448 questioned the older woman: Ibid., pp. 245–246.

  448 “Geronimo E.K.I.A.”: Ibid., p. 247.

  448 “We got him”: Interview with Ben Rhodes, Targeting Bin Laden.

  449 “I’ve got a Geronimo call”: Bergen, Manhunt, p. 225.

  449 gather as many of bin Laden’s belongings: Owen, No Easy Day, p. 252.

  449 found two guns: Ibid., pp. 248–249.

  449 “I saw soldiers emerging”: Qaswar Abbas and Sandeep Unnithan, “How Pak Is Trapped in Web of Deceit,” India Today, May 16, 2011.

  449 “We never saw their clothes”: Transcript, Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees, CNN, May 12, 2011.

  449 “We all knew the risks of running out of gas”: Owen, No Easy Day, p. 251.

  449 “We looked like a gypsy camp”: Ibid., p. 252.

  450 the remaining stealth Black Hawk: Ibid., p. 253.

  450 $60-million bonfire: Bob Woodward, “Death of Osama bin Laden: Phone Call Pointed U.S. to Compound—and to ‘the Pacer,’” Washington Post, May 6, 2011. The price tag of the helicopter was revealed when Woodward reported President Obama’s retort to the news of a SEAL lying down next to bin Laden’s corpse to measure his height: “We donated a $60 million helicopter to this operation. Could we not afford a tape measure?”

  450 1:00 a.m., just before the SEALs took off: Zahid Hussain, Matthew Rosenberg, and Jeremy Paige, “Slow Dawn After Midnight Raid,” Wall Street Journal, May 9, 2011.

  450 “Inform me as soon as our helicopters are out”: Bergen, Manhunt, p. 228.

  450 separate routes: Ibid.

  450 On the tarmac in Jalalabad: Owen, No Easy Day, p. 262.

  450 choppered out to the Arabian Sea: Schmidle, “Getting Bin Laden.”

  450 “Traditional procedures for Islamic burial”: Associated Press, “Military Emails Reveal Details of bin Laden Burial,” CBSNews.com, November 22, 2012.

  50: “Now They’re After My Son”

  451 “Good evening”: Transcript, “Remarks by the President on Osama bin Laden,” May 2, 2011.

  451 “did resist the assault force”: Transcript, “Press Briefing by Senior Administration Officials on the Killing of Osama bin Laden,” May 2, 2011.

  451 seven of the eleven adults: Peter Bergen, “A Visit to Osama bin Laden’s Lair,” CNN.com, May 3, 2012.

  451 According to Pakistani officials: Robert Booth, Saeed Shah, and Jason Burke, “Osama bin Laden Death: How Family Scene in Compound Turned to Carnage,” Guardian, May 5, 2011.

  451 “The US administration made clear”: Amnesty International, Annual Report 2012, “United States of America,” 2012, https://www.amnesty.org/en/region/usa/report-2012.

  452 “nature of the individual he was”: Transcript, “Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney and Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism John Brennan,” May 2, 2011.

  452 forced to retract: Reuters, “Woman Killed in Bin Laden Raid Not His Wife: White House,” National Post, May 2, 2011.

  452 issued a directive: Kimberly Dozier, “McRaven Tells Troops to Pipe Down,” Associated Press, The Big Story (bigstory.ap.org), August 12, 2012.

  452 tried to trademark: Ethan Smith and Julian E. Barnes, “Walt Disney Surrenders to Navy’s SEAL Team 6,” Wall Street Journal, May 26, 2011.

  452 access to sensitive material: Mark Hosenball, “Senate Panel to Examine CIA Contacts with ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ Filmmakers,” Reuters, January 2, 2013.

  453 snatched by an amphibious team: Daniel Klaidman, Kill or Capture: The War on Terror and the Soul of the Obama Presidency (New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012), p. 238.

  453 transferred to New York and
indicted: United States of America v. Ahmed Abdulkadir Warsame, indictment 11 CRIM 559 (DC Southern district of New York July 5, 2011), graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/world/Warsame_Indictment.pdf.

  453 endured two months: Charlie Savage, “U.S. Tests New Approach to Terrorism Cases on Somali Suspect,” New York Times, July 6, 2011.

  453 provide the ICRC: Executive Order No. 13491, 74 Fed. Reg. 4893, 4893-94 (January 27, 2009).

  453 “This is illegal and inexcusable”: “U.S. May Have Violated Domestic and International Law in Capturing and Holding Somali for Months at Sea,” Center for Constitutional Rights, July 7, 2011, http://ccrjustice.org/newsroom/press-releases/u.s.-may-have-violated-domestic-and-international-law-capturing-and-holding-somali-months-sea.

  453 anonymously boasted: Pete Williams and Jonathan Dienst, “Member of Terrorist Group Brought to US to Stand Trial,” NBCNews.com, July 5, 2011.

  453 “I want Awlaki”: Klaidman, Kill or Capture, p. 261.

  454 “knockout blow,” “running the table”: Ibid., p. 252.

  454 ordered John Brennan: Ibid., p. 261.

  454 “The hardware was filled”: Ibid., pp. 262–263.

  454 “vital details of Awlaki’s whereabouts”: Margaret Coker, Adam Entous, and Julian E. Barnes, “Drone Targets Yemeni Cleric,” Wall Street Journal, May 7, 2011.

  454 Dragon Spear aircraft: Martha Raddatz, “US Missiles Missed Awlaki by Inches in Yemen,” ABCNews.go.com, July 19, 2011. Unless otherwise noted, details of the military strikes on May 5, 2011, are from this article.

  455 “Speed up!”: Unless otherwise noted, on-the-ground details of this strike are based on the essay by Shaykh Harith al Nadari, “My Story with al-Awlaki,” Inspire 9 (winter 2012), released May 2012.

  455 al Harad brothers: Gregory D. Johnsen, The Last Refuge: Yemen, Al-Qaeda, and America’s War in Arabia (New York: W. W. Norton, 2013), p. 275.

  455 “You can’t see shit”: Author interview, former JSOC planner, October 2012.

  455 Suzuki Vitara SUV: Mohammed Jamjoom and Hakim Almasmari, “Yemeni Source: Drone Strike Misses al-Awlaki, Hits Two Supporters,” CNN.com, May 7, 2011.

  456 stuck with Awlaki’s truck: Ibid.

  456 “We were hoping it was him”: Transcript, CBS Evening News, May 6, 2011.

  456 “vehicles were exchanged”: Jamjoom and Almasmari, “Yemeni Source.”

  456 “U.S. government has been targeting al-Awlaki”: Transcript, “Deciphering bin Laden’s Messages; Drone Strikes; Targeting Awlaki,” John King, USA, CNN, May 6, 2011.

  457 “now they’re after my son”: Tom Finn, “I Fear for My Son, Says Father of Anwar al-Awlaki, Tipped as new Bin Laden,” Observer, May 7, 2011.

  51: “It Was Cold-Blooded”

  458 “counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan”: Transcript, “Remarks by the President on Osama bin Laden,” May 2, 2011.

  458 “did its part”: Asif Ali Zardari, “Pakistan Did Its Part,” op-ed Washington Post, May 2, 2011.

  458 “We will not allow”: Sajjad Tarakzai, “Bin Laden Dead as Joyful US Says Justice Is Done,” Agence France-Presse, May 2, 2011.

  458 “It was cold-blooded”: Kamran Haider and Augustine Anthony, “No Resistance in ‘Cold-Blooded’ U.S. Raid: Pakistan Officials,” Reuters, May 5, 2011.

  458 “an unauthorized unilateral action”: Jane Perlez and David Rohde, “Pakistan Pushes Back Against U.S. Criticism on Bin Laden,” New York Times, May 3, 2011.

  458 “unprovoked aggression”: Express/AFP, “Zardari and Gilani Should Resign: Qureshi,” Express Tribune, May 7, 2011.

  458 “Every Pakistani wants to know”: “Altaf Asks Military, Govt to Apologise over US Raid,” Dawn.com, May 5, 2011.

  458 “violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty”: “Terms of Engagement with US Be Reviewed: Resolution,” Dawn.com, May 15, 2011.

  459 “inconceivable”: Transcript, “Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney and Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism John Brennan,” May 2, 2011.

  459 1,500 Pakistanis protested: “U.S. Drone Strike in Pakistan; Protests over bin Laden,” Reuters, May 6, 2011.

  459 sentenced to thirty-three years: Jon Boone, “Doctor Who Helped US in Search for Osama Bin Laden Jailed for Thirty-three Years,” Guardian, May 23, 2012.

  459 “shocking and outrageous”: Senator John McCain and Senator Carl Levin, “Statement by Senators McCain and Levin on Sentencing of Pakistani Doctor Who Assisted in bin Laden Search,” press release, May 23, 2012, www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?ContentRecord_id=7a9e4f17-9a3f-f98a-ad20-f9fb18505c1d&-FuseAction=PressOffice.PressReleases.

  459 “For us, he’s no hero”: Kimberly Dozier and Bradley Klapper, “Pakistan to Talk Counterterrorism with US, Afghans,” Associated Press, September 20, 2012.

  459 “Since the killing of the al Qaeda leader”: Master Sergeant Michael O’Connor, “ISAF Mission at Full Speed Following Death of Al Qaeda Leader,” ISAF Headquarters, May 12, 2011.

  459 Pakistani soldiers: Salman Masood and Eric Schmitt, “Tensions Flare Between U.S. and Pakistan After Strike,” New York Times, November 26, 2011.

  52: “The US Sees al Qaeda as Terrorism, and We Consider the Drones Terrorism”

  460 counterterrorism units were pulled away: Margaret Coker, “Rebel General Fights Yemen Regime,” Wall Street Journal, June 2, 2011.

  460 laid siege to Zinjibar: Laura Kasinof, “Islamists Seize a Yemeni City, Stoking Fears,” New York Times, May 29, 2011.

  460 announced themselves as a new group: Hakim Almasmari and Margaret Coker, “Yemen Unrest Spreads South,” Wall Street Journal, May 30, 2011.

  460 front for Al Qaeda: Author interviews, senior Yemeni officials, January 2012.

  460 “The name Ansar al Sharia”: “Online Question and Answer Session with Abu Zubayr Adel al-Abab, Shariah Official for Member of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula [AQAP],” April 18, 2011, translation by Amany Soliman, The International Centre for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence, http://islamopediaonline.org/sites/default/files/abdu_zubayr_english.pdf.

  461 “there could be mortars”: Author interview, General Mohammed al Sumali, January 2012. All statements and information attributed to General al Sumali come from the author’s interview.

  461 “heavy artillery pieces”: Madad News Agency, “After Great Attrition of Ali Saleh’s Forces on the Doofos Front; Ansar Al-Shari’ah Announces a New Strategy and Different Tactics for Urban Warfare,” News Report Issue No. 1, September 2011, translation of online news magazine by Ansar Al-Mujahideen English Forum, released via Jihadology, December 26, 2011, http://azelin.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/ane1b9a3c481r-al-sharc4abah-in-yemen-22news-report-issue-122-en.pdf.

  462 more than 230 Yemeni soldiers: Fawaz al Haidari, “Yemen Says Hundreds Killed in Qaeda Fight,” Agence France-Presse, September 11, 2011.

  462 “handed over Zinjibar to these militants”: Author interview, Abdul Ghani al Iryani, January 2012. All statements and information attributed to Iryani come from the author’s interview.

  462 did not respond: Author interview, Yemeni government official, January 2012.

  463 “political tumult”: Kimberly Dozier (AP), “Al Qaeda Reeling, US Terror Chief Says,” Boston.com, September 2, 2011.

  463 declaring an Islamic emirate: Al Bawaba News, “Yemen: Al Qaeda Declares South Province as ‘Islamic Emirate,’” Eurasia Review, March 31, 2011.

  463 “Ansar al Sharia has been much more proactive”: Author interview, Gregory Johnsen, January 2012. All information and statements attributed to Johnsen come from the author’s interview.

  463 repaired roads, restored electricity: Sasha Gordon, “Abyani Tribes and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen,” Critical Threats, July 25, 2012, www.criticalthreats.org/yemen/gordon-abyani-tribes-and-al-qaeda-arabian-peninsula-july-25-2012#_edn21.

  463 “brought security to the people”: Author interview, Abdul Rezzaq al Jamal, January 2012. All information and statements attributed to
Jamal come from the author’s interview.

  464 a gruesome event: “Al Qaeda Severs Boy’s Hand,” Yemen Post, September 25, 2011, http://yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=4117.

  464 beheaded two men: “Islamist Militants Execute Three Men in South Yemen,” Reuters, February 12, 2012.

  464 third man executed: Ibid.

  464 massive air assault: Daniel Klaidman, Kill or Capture: The War on Terror and the Soul of the Obama Presidency (New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012), pp. 253–254.

  464 “where the real priority is”: Ibid., p. 256.

  464 fly supply runs: Author interview, General Mohammed al Sumali, January 2012.

  465 decided to pull out: Robert Burns (AP), “U.S. Military Trainers Have Returned to Yemen,” Army Times, May 8, 2012.

  465 “They have left”: Author interview, Abu Bakr al Qirbi, January 2012.

  465 secret air base: Greg Miller and Julie Tate, “CIA Shifts Focus to Killing Targets,” Washington Post, September 1, 2011. The Washington Post first reported the construction of the base, revealing only that it was somewhere on the Arabian Peninsula. More than a year later, the New York Times confirmed that the base was in Saudi Arabia. See Robert F. Worth, Mark Mazzetti, and Scott Shane, “Drone Strikes’ Risks to Get Rare Moment in the Public Eye,” New York Times, February 5, 2013.

  465 Several southern leaders: Author interviews, tribal leaders, January 2012.

  465 “Why should we fight them?”: Author interview, Sheikh Ali Abdullah Abdulsalam (Mullah Zabara), January 2012. All information and statements attributed to Mullah Zabara come from the author’s interview.

  466 Zabara was assassinated: Nasser Arrabyee, “Al Qaeda Suspects Killed Tribal Leader, Mediator, Political Asylum Seeker,” Nasser Arrabyee (blog), January 10, 2013, http://narrabyee-e.blogspot.com/2013/01/qaeda-suspects-killed-tribal-leader.html.

  466 Shihri had died: Press statement from the Supreme National Security Committee in the Republic of Yemen, January 24, 2013.

  467 three French aid workers: Agence France-Presse, “Three French hostages Freed in Yemen Head for Home,” November 14, 2011.