Bin Laden in Soviet-Afghan War, Day of 9/11 - Additions as of October 5, 2008

Several new entries have been added this week about Osama bin Laden during the anti-Soviet jihad in Afghanistan. In 1986, his brother Salem asked the Pentagon to supply him with missiles, but received no reply, although a Pentagon official did later ask Afghan commanders if resources should be diverted to the Arab Afghans. The bin Laden brothers purchased some anti-aircraft missiles in London and, in May, Osama led a group of Arab fighters into Afghanistan, but the mission ended in failure. Bin Laden set up the Arabs' first camp in Afghanistan, but an assault he led on a government position in April 1987 ended in disaster. However, bin Laden's reputation as a fighting leader was made shortly after this at the battle of the Lion's Den.

There is also more about the Pentagon on 9/11, such as the fact it was not evacuated before being hit. After the impact, the FBI searched for plane debris, but still lacked full investigative capacity shortly after midday, and its operations were disrupted by a false alarm at 2:00 p.m.

Other day of 9/11 entries cover communication problems around the Capitol building after the Pentagon was hit, as well as the evacuation of House Speaker Dennis Hastert and other congressional leaders to a secure location outside Washington. Members of Congress who remained near the building in Washington were poorly informed throughout the day. There is also a separate entry to cover the content of Edward Felt's call from Flight 93.

Miscellaneous entries cover an update to the continuity of government plan to deal with a terrorist threat in 1998, and guidance about responding to terrorist attacks issued by FEMA in 1999. Finally, 9/11 Commission Executive Director Philip Zelikow insisted portions of the panel's final report be rewritten to be more favorable to National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, his once and future boss.

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More favorable...

She belongs in jail. Instead she was given a promotion.


Do these people deserve to know how and why their loved ones were murdered? Do we deserve to know how and why 9/11 happened?

Thanks

for your continued hard work, Kevin.