Bush Administration Ignored 9/11 Warnings

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Sep 11, 2012 For those who never knew, the Bush White House received numerous warnings from the counterterrorism desk at the CIA of an imminent attack by Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida on the United States. Former New York Times reporter Kurt Eichenwald tells of the still-classified briefs issued to the Bush administration in the months leading up to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

A Former CIA Operative Against Excessive Secrecy

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jul 5, 2012 Human rights lawyer Scott Horton, on the Harper's Magazine website, asks career CIA counterterrorism agent Henry Crumpton what America can do to balance the need for secrecy with the people’s right to know what their government is doing. Crumpton is author of the new book “The Art of Intelligence.” Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Obama’s Assassination Machine

Staff / Truthdig Jul 14, 2011 Fred Branfman was in Laos when the U.S. began covertly dropping bombs on the country's civilian population in 1969 as part of its military operations in neighboring Vietnam. Today, he writes about the Obama administration's international counterterrorism plan, which involves 60,000 Special Operations forces worldwide. (more) Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

The Drawdown That Wasn’t

Staff / Truthdig Jul 2, 2011 Tom Engelhardt, a fellow at The Nation Institute and creator and editor of TomDispatch.com, takes a close accounting of President Obama's Afghanistan speech delivered in late June, in which Americans were told that this year the U.S. would begin winding down its war in that country. (more) Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

New Afghanistan Strategy Targets Insurgents

Staff / Truthdig Aug 1, 2010 With the resignation of Gen. Stanley McChrystal and (we hope) the waning of the notion of counterinsurgency, the U.S. is looking toward another Afghanistan strategy -- "counterterrorism" -- one that focuses on targeted killing of insurgents, rather than the whole "hearts and minds" thing. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

House Committee to Launch CIA Probe

Staff / Truthdig Jul 18, 2009 Former Vice President Dick Cheney may have some ’splainin' to do, and to the House Intelligence Committee at that, when the panel kicks off its investigation into claims that the CIA kept information about a covert counterterrorism program secret from Congress for eight years. Rep. Jan Schakowsky announced the probe Friday. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Cheney’s CIA Cover-Up

Staff / Truthdig Jul 12, 2009 In a report that's sure to surprise absolutely nobody, The New York Times revealed on Saturday that former Vice President Dick Cheney explicitly ordered the Central Intelligence Agency to keep a "counterterrorism program" -- of an as-yet-unknown nature -- secret from Congress. The program reportedly existed for eight years. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Coordinated Attacks Kill at Least 100 in Mumbai

Staff / Truthdig Nov 27, 2008 India's busiest city came under fire Thursday morning (local time) as gunmen attacked at least seven targets, including two luxury hotels, a train station and a hospital. The attacks killed at least 100 people and injured hundreds more. Officials said the death toll included the head of Mumbai's counterterrorism unit. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Al-Qaida Analysis: Election Year Edition

Staff / Truthdig May 30, 2008 Only a year after his agency warned of a resurgence of al-Qaida in the Arab world, CIA Director Michael Hayden remarked on Friday that U.S. "counter-terrorism work" has led to the strategic defeat of al-Qaida in Iraq and Saudi Arabia and significant setbacks for al-Qaida globally. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Commemorating ‘Counterterrorism Day’

Staff / Truthdig Nov 6, 2007 Has the meaning of Guy Fawkes Day changed, for this particular moment, in England? A holiday that traditionally had more to do with celebrating the squelching of a plot to blast England's government to smithereens may take on a different significance these days, according to Harper's columnist Scott Harper. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Top Counter-Terrorism Official Removed Amid Turmoil at the CIA

Staff / Truthdig Feb 7, 2006 The departure "comes at a time when the agency is bleeding top talent, robbing the CIA of institutional memory and damaging morale among case officers and analysts." | story Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )