Former CIA Officer Reveals How Osama bin Laden Escaped Tora Bora Disguised as a Woman

Osama bin Laden was the most wanted terrorist for the US following the September 11, 2001 attacks.

New Delhi:

Former CIA Officer John Kiriakou has revealed that Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, who became America's most wanted terrorist after the September 11, 2001 attacks, managed to escape from the Tora Bora mountains disguised as a woman.

During an exclusive interview with ANI, Kiriakou, who served in the CIA for 15 years and headed CIA counterterrorism operations in Pakistan, disclosed that U.S. forces were unaware that the translator for the Central Command commander had actually "infiltrated the US military" as an "Al Qaeda operative."

"The United States adopted a reactive rather than proactive stance at that time. We waited over a month before commencing bombing operations in Afghanistan. We aimed to be deliberate and not allow emotion to cloud our judgment. After a month of proper military buildup in the region, we began targeting known Al-Qaeda locations, primarily in the Pashto areas of southern and eastern Afghanistan. By October 2001, we believed we had successfully cornered Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda leadership at Tora Bora," he explained.

"We were unaware that the translator for Central Command's commander was actually an Al-Qaeda operative who had infiltrated U.S. military ranks. While we had bin Laden cornered and instructed him to descend the mountain, he requested through the translator for time until dawn to evacuate women and children before surrendering. The translator persuaded General Franks to approve this request. What transpired was that bin Laden dressed as a woman and escaped under darkness in a pickup truck into Pakistan," Kiriakou continued.

He added that when dawn arrived, Tora Bora was completely vacant. "Everyone had escaped, forcing us to shift our operations to Pakistan proper."

Kiriakou was responding to questions about how Al-Qaeda terrorists escaped to Pakistan after being surrounded in Afghanistan's Tora Bora mountains following the 9/11 attacks that claimed 3,000 lives, and about the close relationship between U.S. and Pakistani intelligence.

U.S. forces eventually located Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, northern Pakistan, in May 2011. He was killed during a raid by U.S. Special Forces on his compound on May 2.

Regarding former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, Kiriakou stated that the U.S. "essentially purchased Musharraf" and "he would permit us to conduct whatever operations we desired."

"Our relationship with the Pakistani government was extremely positive under General Pervez Musharraf. To be candid, the United States prefers working with dictators because it eliminates concerns about public opinion and media scrutiny. We essentially bought Musharraf's cooperation through millions in military and economic development aid. We met with him several times weekly, and he generally allowed us operational freedom. However, Musharraf also had domestic constituencies to manage," he said.

"He needed to keep the military satisfied, and the military was focused on India rather than Al Qaeda. To maintain support from both the military and extremist elements, he had to maintain a dual approach—appearing to cooperate with American counterterrorism efforts while allowing terror activities against India," Kiriakou elaborated.

When questioned further, Kiriakou acknowledged that the United States was primarily concerned with Al-Qaeda and Afghanistan, paying little attention to Indian security concerns.

"In March 2002, we raided a Lashkar-e-Taiba safe house in Lahore, capturing three fighters who possessed an Al Qaeda training manual. This represented our first analytical connection between Lashkar-e-Taiba and Al-Qaeda. I recall receiving congratulations from the CIA's deputy director for intelligence on this discovery, noting it was the first evidence linking the Pakistani government to Al-Qaeda," he revealed.

Asked why this connection wasn't publicized, Kiriakou explained the decision came from the White House. "The determination was that the relationship transcended India-Pakistan tensions, at least temporarily. We needed Pakistani cooperation more than they needed us at that juncture. We readily provided financial support, which they responded to, but we critically needed their permission to base our drones in Balochistan."

Responding to another question, he suggested that Islamabad must reach a policy conclusion that conflict with India offers no benefits, as Pakistan would inevitably lose any conventional military confrontation with India.