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Why the Counterterrorism Center Didn’t Counter Terrorism From an interview with Robert Baer, former CIA officer

I was in the CTC from 1985 to 1986 when it was first formed. There had been a whole series of terrorist attacks against us like the Achille Lauro, and Reagan wanted us to do something. So they formed the CTC and brought in Dewey Clarridge to head it up because he was aggressive. He was a real case officer who’d done some ops in Europe and Central America. He’d dress like a gangster to work, with linen suits and a silk carnation in his lapel. He looked like he could be played by DeNiro. And as far as the Reaganites were concerned, he was our guy. Read more >

Interview with Mohammad Eshaq about the hunt for Osama bin Laden Eshaq was the representative of the Northern Alliance in Washington, DC and a close friend and ally of Ahmad Shah Masood.

Kuma\War: How long have you known Masood? Was he an important ally for the US to have in trying to catch bin Laden?

Eshaq: I have known Ahmad Shah Masood since 1973. I cannot describe him as an ally of the US, but they had the same enemy. Bin Laden and the Taliban wanted to defeat Masood, and the US accused bin Laden of terrorism. It was logical for the US to help the enemy of his enemy, but Washington did not consider bin Laden such a big threat to make them ready to get involved in Afghanistan once again. Read more >