We go back to September 9th, 2001. Ahmed Massoud, the military leader of the Taliban-fighting Northern Alliance, was killed by a camera bomb. Other Northern Alliance leaders were hurt or killed in the attack, seemingly designed to cripple the guerrilla movement. The two assassins were Arabs and it is suspected that Abdul Sayyaf was involved. Some speculate that Pakistan was behind it, but conventional wisdom is that the assassination was orchestrated by Osama bin Laden to strengthen his position with the Taliban two days prior to 9/11.
Who did benefit? Not Pakistan certainly. They were the sponsors of the Taliban and had to absorb the Taliban back into their country. It doesn't make sense that bin Laden was behind it; the action would appear to be a distraction with no real pay-off for him. In the end, it did not advance al Qaeda's interest at all; they lost their safe haven and bin Laden had to flee the country.
The people who benefitted from 9/11 would seem to be the ones who wanted the Taliban
overthrown. That would be the Northern Alliance, which Massoud led, a paradox for sure, and/or those who wanted an American invasion of Afghanistan.
The Northern Alliance was not succeeding. They were running out of time and money, and the Bush administration appeared to be siding with the Taliban. They needed an event to turn things around. Massoud was a Tajik and a moderate who was against religious fanaticism. This contrasts with many around him who had histories with the extremist Muslim Brotherhood
and who were ethnic Pashtun's.
and who were ethnic Pashtun's.
Abdul Sayyaf fits this profile, but he certainly couldn't seriously believe that killing a remote guerilla fighter halfway around the world would merit American involvement. Which leads one to think that he would have known September 11th was coming also.
Sayyaf would have known that America would answer such a terrorist attack and overthrow the Taliban for him. He would have strengthened his position by eliminating Massoud, his prime opposition. Sayyaf was also intimately connected to Khalid Sheik Mohammed.
Whatever the answer, the one-two punch of Massoud's killing and 9/11 is something that needs to be explored further.
1 comment:
What makes you so sure Massoud was actually killed? I would suggest watching the movie the Wedding Planner - otherwise known as the Assassination Planner.
My take? Massimo played Massoud. 9/11 was faked and Massoud is still alive.
And that's from someone who in from the East Coast and who went on a pilgrimage to 911 twice.
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