05-Jun-02
On June 21, 2001, Bakr Atyani, a correspondent of the Middle East Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), interviewed Osama bin Laden and his aides Abu Hafas al-Masri and Ayman al-Zawahiri inside Afghanistan. Bin Laden was silent, but nodded approvingly when his aides warned that "the coming weeks will hold important surprises that will target American and Israeli interests in the world." The State Department issued a "worldwide caution" on June 22nd and specifically mentioned Bin Laden and his Al Qaeda organization as the source of the threats. According to an article written by Amir Shah, an AP correspondent in Afghanistan (published in the New Jersey Record on June 25th, 2001), Taliban government officials responded to "U.S. reports of a terrorist plot" by Bin Laden followers on June 24th, 2001. Responding to "US concerns", Taliban officials stated that Bin Laden was under their strict control and could not use Afghan territory as a base for attacks.
"Taliban Leaders Dismiss U.S.Reports of a Terrorist Plot"
Original article ran on June 25th, 2001 in
The New Jersey Record
Section: News
Edition: All editions
Page: A9
Wire services Amir Shah, The Associated Press
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Highlights from "Taliban Leaders Dismiss U.S.Reports of a Terrorist Plot"
June 21st, 2001: Bakr Atyani, a reporter for Saudi Arabian owned broadcaster Middle East Broadcasting Corp. meets with Osama bin Laden and his aides in a desert area of Afghanistan. According to Atyani, "Bin Laden seemed happy with the talks of his aides who said that the coming weeks will hold important surprises that will target American and Israeli interests in the world."
June 22nd, 2001: The US State Department issued a "Worldwide Caution" regarding the risk of a terrorist attack by extremist groups. It specifically mentioned groups with links to Bin Laden and his Al Queda organization as possible sources for the threat.
June 22nd, 2001: US military forces throughout the Persian Gulf were put on a heightened state of alert.
June 22nd, 2001: A U.S. Marine Corps contingent in Jordan cut short its training session and returned to its ships.
June 22nd, 2001: U.S. 5th Fleet sent its ships out of port in Bahrain.
June 23rd, 2001: Middle East Broadcasting Corp reported that followers of Bin Laden were planning an attack on American and Israeli interests within the next few weeks. Bakr Atyani's interview with Bin Laden is a featured report.
June 24th: Taliban officials responded to "U.S" concerns about the possibility of a terrorist strike by followers of Osama bin Laden dismissing the concerns and stating they had bin Laden under strict control.
If the U.S. State department was concerned enough on June 22, 2001 to request a response from Taliban officials regarding a terrorist strike against American interests by Osama Bin Laden, then why wasn't the public alerted to a serious threat in the Summer months of 2001?
Why were these concerns not filtered down to the CIA and the FBI as national security priority number one?
And why isn't anyone in the mainstream media reporting that CLEARLY the buck DID NOT stop with the CIA and the FBI!