Bin Laden escaped Tora Bora disguised as woman: Ex-CIA officer
What's the story
Former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer John Kiriakou has revealed that Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden escaped from Tora Bora in Afghanistan by disguising himself as a woman. In an exclusive interview with ANI, Kiriakou, who served 15 years at the CIA and was head of counterterrorism operations in Pakistan, said they were unaware that the translator for Central Command's commander was an "Al-Qaeda operative who had infiltrated the US military."
Initial response
US was initially reactive after September 11 attacks
Kiriakou said the United States was initially reactive after the September 11 attacks, waiting over a month before bombing Afghanistan. He explained that they were trying to be deliberate and not let emotion cloud their judgment. In October 2001, they believed they had bin Laden cornered at Tora Bora "He said through the translator, 'Can you just give us until dawn? We want to evacuate the women and children, and then we'll come down and give up,'" Kiriakou revealed.
Escape and aftermath
Bin Laden escaped to Pakistan before US forces arrived
When dawn broke, bin Laden was gone. Kiriakou said, "What ended up happening was bin Laden dressed as a woman and he escaped under the cover of darkness in the back of a pickup truck into Pakistan." Later, the US tracked him down to Abbottabad, Pakistan, where he was killed by US Special Forces in May 2011 by United States Special Forces.
Dual role
US decisions prioritized Pakistan over India
Kiriakou noted that Musharraf had to keep his military happy, which was focused on India rather than counterterrorism efforts. Nevertheless, in March 2002, the US connected Lashkar-e-Taiba with Al-Qaeda after raiding a safe house in Lahore, where they found a copy of the Al-Qaeda training manual. Despite this connection, Kiriakou said decisions were made at the White House to prioritize relations with Pakistan over Indian concerns due to strategic needs like drone bases in Balochistan.