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Aug 23, 2021, 43 tweets

—THREAD—

35/100 #100booksby2022

▪️Title: #DirectorateS
▪️Genre: History - IR - Politics
▪️Published: 2018
▪️Author: Steve Coll
▪️Length: 784 Pages
▪️ Description: The C.I.A. & America's secret wars in Pakistan & Afghanistan.

#LetsReadPakistan

~Rich Contents~♥️
#DirectorateS

Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows that the war is over
Everybody knows that the good guys lost
#DirectorateS authored by Steve Coll.

On September 10, Ahmed Shah Massoud was finally ready to grant visiting Arab journalist an interview & suddenly an explosion occured & there was blood everywhere & Ahmed Shah Massoud was dead. The journalists had hidden explosives in their camera equipment.
#DirectorateS

Commanders told @AmrullahSaleh2 that Massod was dead & gave him instructions: Call the C.I.A.
Within hours, the news services quoted anonymous Bush administration officials saying that Ahmed Shah Massod had probably been assassinated.
#DirectorateS

Just after 8:46 am, Cofer Black's secretary came in to say that a private plane had crashed into WTC's north tower. Black thought that pilot might hv committed suicide. They were arguing at 9.03 am, when UAF-175 struck WTC's south tower.
That's Bin-Laden or AQ, said Richard Blee.

At 9:37 am, American Flight 77 struck Pentagon while flying about 530 M/H.
George Tenet raced up George Washington to C.I.A headquarters. Cofer Black told C.T.C officers, "Wherever I go today, you come right with me. No matter who is there, u come in to write down every order."

Clark said that FAA was uncertain how many other planes might hv been hijacked & still in the air.
"Let's get out of here (C.I.A headquarter), let's evacuate, said Tenet's personal security head.
Around 10 am, Tenet directed C.I.A personnel to evacuate the grounds.
#DirectorateS

• President Bush was by now in air a board Air Force one enroute to Louisiana Airbase.
• VP Dick Cheney had been hustled into White House bunker.
• Secretary of Defense, Rumsfeld was inside smoldering Pentagon.
• Secretary of state, Powell was traveling in Latin America.

Rich Blee was now certain that AlQaeda had carried out hijackings but to make that call firmly to White House, they needed proof.
Hezbollah's branch analysts at CTC tild Blee that hijackings had been carried out by Hezbollah.
Prove your case, replied Rich Blee.
#DirectorateS

By noon it was clear that threat of additional attacks on Washington had passed. According to FBI, Al Qaeda associate, Khalid al Midhar had obtained American visa & flown to US in early 2000. Now the analyst saw his name on American 77 passenger list.
#DirectorateS

• CIA were late to recognize forces that swept Soviet Union away.
• CIA were timid about Gorbachev's potential as a reformer.
• CIA failed to detect India's decision to test a nuclear bomb.
• CIA had no evidence of any plan of AQ to strike in US.
#DirectorateS

About 50-60 individuals read one or more of six different cables containing travel information related to these terrorists (Midhar & Hazmi). Majority of those who read cables worked at CTC. They were mainly CIA analysts but also included 4-FBI agents on assignment to agency.

After 3 pm,on Sep 11,Tenet told Bush that CIA was certain AQ had carried out hijackings.
Rich Blee told @AmrullahSaleh2 "This is tragedy for my country but it is going to change your country forever. This is now much beyond u bcz it is going to come in ways that u can't imagine."

Units of ISI devoted to secret operations in support of the Taliban, Kashmiri guerillas, & other violent Islamic radicals---"Directorate S," as it was referred to by American intelligence officers & diplomats. It was also known as "S Wing" or just "S."
#DirectorateS

Bcz of surge of alarming reports about AQ's plan for big attack,USA redoubled its efforts to cultivate DG-ISI in hope that ISI might use his influence with Taliban's leadership to persuade them to either expel or betray bin-Laden. ISI director's visit to USA was to end on Sep-9.

General Franks called US ambassador to Pakistan the next morning after attacks & said, "You need to tell Musharaaf they're either with us or against us. They need to get very strong statement out as soon as possible."
#DirectorateS

US presentd 7-requirements to🇵🇰as with us or against us ultimatum
-Stop AQ operatives at ur border
-US should hv access to🇵🇰Naval&Air bases
-🇵🇰should provide inteligence about terrorist suspects
-🇵🇰should publicly denounce 9/11 attacks
-🇵🇰should cut off aid&relations with Taliban

Musharraf shared following suggestions with US ambassador to 🇵🇰
-It is impossible to seal 🇵🇰-🇦🇫 border
-US should tell India to lay off & stay off
-It would be best for US to focus on just taking out AQ terrorists
-Neither India nor Israel should be part of any US coalition

On 17 September, DG-ISI flew to Kandhar to negotiate directly with Mullah Omer. Bin-Laden had to be brought to justice or expelled,said DG-ISI.
As for Bin-Laden, only his death or mine relieved me for obligation to protect a Muslim guest, said Mullah Omer.
#DirectorateS

On September 20, President Bush addressed joint session of Congress &named AQ as responsible for attacks on NewYork &Washington. We makes following demands on Taliban & these demands aren't open to negotiations ot discussion. The Taliban must act & act immediately.
#DirectorateS

Don't let the blood rush to your head. I implore u not to fire a shot in anger. It will set us all back many years, said DG-ISI. He mentioned Sun Tzu's aphorism about how the supreme art of war involved learning to win without firing a shot.
#DirectorateS

Colonel Imam sought appointment with Mullah Zaeef. After they exchanged greetings,Imam started to cry.Almighty Allah might hv decided what is to take place in🇦🇫&🇵🇰 but🇵🇰 is to blame. How much cruelty it has done to its neighbor.Colonel laid blame on Musharaf&started to cry again.

That night the shrapnel struck Mullah Omer in the face & wounded his right eye, Omer, his face bandaged, sang a ghazal, or Traditional poem:

My illness is untreatable, oh, my flower-like friend
My life is difficult without you, oh, my flower like friend

#DirectorateS

An official Taliban gazette published a week before 9/11 clarified following items formally banned in 🇦🇫:
Pig, Pork, Pig fat
Objects made of human hair
Dish antennas
Sets of cinematography & microphotography
Music instruments
Alcoholic beverages
Cards, chess boards
TV & Computers

After 9/11 attacks,Mullah Omer told Mullah Zaeef that he had summoned OBL &asked him about attacks& OBL swore that he didn't do it & I couldn't pressure him beyond that. If u hv prove then show it to me. Where is the evidence. If there was a crime, we aren't supporting Criminal.

On September 17, President Bush had signed a memorandum of notification authorizing CIA covert action against AQ & its allied including targeted killing.
CIA had placed Mullah Omer's compound in Kandhar on a list of targets for central command to bomb. #DirectorateS

CIA requestd convntional bombng of madrasa where it appeard Mullah Omer had enterd. Bush concurred tht risk of innocent deaths was worth bearing if Omer was in sight. On orders,US fighter bombers depositd 2-bombs on mosque. No significant Taliban leaders died on 1st night of war

We are living in decisive days that will give rise to a manifest victory for Islam & its people, if Allah wills. We will not submit nor become lenient.....The full moon of victory has appeared on the horizon, Mullah Omer prophesied in a letter he wrote that autumn.
#DirectorateS

Musharraf forced DG-ISI Mahmud Ahmed to retire about 2-hours before the American war began & appointed Gen Ehsan ul-Haq as his new spy chief. ISI did pull back many of its officers from Afghanistan during American bombardment but keep its support for Taliban viable.
#DirectorateS

In early November, DG-ISI presented 4-page letter from Musharraf to Bush that proposed an effort to resolve the conflict through negotiations, but as the Bush administration concerned, there was no hope for negotiations & war would go on until Taliban surrendered unconditionally.

On November 12, in Wazir Akbar Khan, a dozen or so Taliban leaders gathered to discuss strategic retreat right away to Wardak province & to move from there toward Kandhar. On November 13, Taliban appeared to have evacuated almost completely from Kabul.
#DirectorateS

In 1992, when Kabul fell to CIA backed mujahedin, Mojaddadi became President briefly. Karzai became deputy FM.Hekmatyar had been named PM but refused to join new govt. Ahmad Shah Massoud was then DM. His intelligence aides arrested Karzai on suspicion of collaboration with enemy.

UN scheduled a conference in Germany where ISI chief&Abdullah Abdullah,volunteered name of Karzai as someone who might b an acceptable intern leader of 🇦🇫.That same day,a Taliban delegation came with a letter of surrender. Next day Pentagon said tht Taliban was unacceptable to US

When Kabul fell, AQ's remnant army evacuated to east, toward Jalalabad & then south east into white mountains near Pakistan border. On Nov 29, VP Dick cheney told ABC news that OBL was equipped to go to ground at Tira Bora. He's got what he believes to be secure facilities.

Franks ordered heavy bombers into action on Dec 3.Over the next 4-days B-52s &other high altitude aircraft dropped about 700k pounds of explosives on AQ's suspected positions. US needed to put 2-3k soldiers on ground to make effective attempt to block AQ's escape from Tora Bora.

On Dec 15, OBL escapes Tora Bora & reportedly moves north before entering Pakistan.
On the eve of US attack on 🇦🇫, Dick Cheney had warned Bush's war cabinet that war could spill over into 🇵🇰, "causing the govt. to lose control of country & potentially its nuclear arsenal."

The US led coalition dropped about 12K bombs on Afghanistan that autumn, about 40% of them "dumb" or unguided & the campaign killed at least 10K foreign & Taliban fighters & b/w 1500-2375 Afghan civilians also died.
#DirectorateS

US led-units formed to push into eastern 🇦🇫 to chase AQ remnants, comprised mixed teams of Special Force--Green Berets, Delta Force & Navy SEAL Team 6--plus CIA officers & commanders, referred to as Omega Teams. Senior commanders in NA worked simultaneously with CIA & Russians.

After the Panjshiris took Kabul, Engineer Arif returned to NDS as defacto chief, on Fahim Khan's orders. Karzai formally appointed Arif as his interim govt's head of intelligence in late Dec 2001.
#DirectorateS

UN would carry out what humanitarian projects international govts chose to fund.
-US would train a new Afghan Army
-Germany would build up police
-Italy would rebuild Justice system
-Britain would work on counternarcotics.
None of these countries had commitment to do that work.

The war is over in Afghanistan, said Donald Ramsfeld. No sir, it's not, responded Rich Blee.
That month Taliban or AQ attacked & blew up a C-130 transport plane killing 3-US soldiers.
It was like, 'hey we don't go there to lose a lot of people.'
#DirectorateS

Credible Taliban leaders (Mullah Baradar & Tayeb Agha) continued to reach out to both Karzai & US despite the rejections they had received in late 2001.
Tayeb agha provided a letter from Taliban leader, "Look, Bonn Conference just happened....We want to be part of 🇦🇫 future."

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