Amrullah Saleh, a Northern Alliance operative, got in touch with the CIA’s Alec Station in September 2001. The same Alec Station was used by the CIA to track down Osama bin Laden. Amrullah told Richard Bailey, the station chief, of Ahmad Shah Masood’s murder. To combat Al-Qaeda and the Taliban who had assaulted the Alliance, he demanded an immediate supply of US weapons. Alec Chief informed him about an American catastrophe that will have a significant impact on Afghanistan.
Something unbelievable was about to happen, so the Chief asked Saleh to speak with the Alliance’s top brass. Amrullah Saleh was the same person who led the Afghan government’s NDS intelligence agency for six years before serving as Interior Minister till January 2019. Whose rallies were permitted despite Pakistan’s ban on public gatherings and in defiance of… international concerns? How could General Musharraf, who wasn’t willing to assist the United States in finding Osama bin Laden, overnight change his mind and agree to all of their demands?
I’m Faisal Warraich, and I’ll provide all of the information you need to know in the History of Pakistan series. Dekho, Suno, and Jano. After assuming power, General Musharraf completely outlawed political rallies. Moeen-uddin Haider, the interior minister, had stated that no political meetings, even behind closed doors, would be permitted. The Musharraf administration forbade even the May 1 Labor Day march from taking place. Religious experts from the Daoband school of thought convened in Peshawar for three days despite the prohibition. Osama bin Laden’s statement was also read aloud at this gathering.
Later, the head of the JUI-F, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, asserted that the message from Osama was not spoken aloud but rather disseminated through leaflets. At that time, the United Nations had classified Al-Qaida as a terrorist group, and the US was conducting a global manhunt for Osama. The Lashkar-e-Tayyaba was subsequently allowed to host a sizable crowd by the Musharraf administration. In its meeting, Lashkara-e-Tayyaba criticised Indian spies and enthused the youth to wage jihad against India.
Benazir Bhutto, the PPP chairperson who now resides in London, was extremely critical of Musharraf’s conflicting approach. Benazir attributed the dominance of the Pakistani army to the extremists. She thought that the military rule was causing a political vacuum that the radicals would fill. According to the agreement that prevented him from making political statements, Nawaz Sharif maintained his silence. Benanzir Bhutto and the USA were exerting pressure on Musharraf simultaneously. America put pressure on General Musharraf to assist the CIA in their effort to apprehend Osama bin Laden.
Interestingly, US President George Bush did not exert pressure since he did not take Al-threats qaeda’s to attack the United States seriously. The FBI has alerted Bush 216 times about Al-plots qaeda’s to attack the United States during his first 10 months in office. 33 texts that suggested strikes by Al-Qaeda against the USA were found by the American National Security Agency. All of this was in addition to the previous cautions issued by the Alec Station. These cautions were only partially heeded by the White House. The US had also sent very advanced technical espionage equipment to Afghanistan at the same time. It also contained modified and missile-equipped drones, which were used as espionage planes.
The globe was about to see a brand-new kind of conflict in which the Americans—like in video games—were going to use remote-controlled drones to kill people. The Drones had advanced technology. The US government convened in April 2001 to deliberate whether to employ them in Afghanistan. The use of drones in Afghanistan was approved at the conference, but it was not decided who would foot the $three million bill for their operation. The CIA and the Pentagon did not respond to this query at that meeting. The following conference was planned for September 2001, five months after the last one, to address the search for Osama and security issues.
On September 4, 2001, the next meeting approved $125 million for the CIA. Along with drones, this money was to be used to arm the Northern Alliance and provide technical assistance to strengthen its defences against the Taliban and to share intelligence with US government agencies. The Alliance received technical support in the form of night vision gear, a speech detector network, etc. Amrullah Saleh was given the assignment of supplying the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan with equipment. Amrullah Saleh was then receiving intelligence and warfare training from the CIA in America. The folks at that time did not have a lot of knowledge about the US programme for covert intelligence training.
Amrullah enjoyed the utmost confidence from Ahmad Shah Masood. Amrullah arrived in Tajikistan at the start of September 2001 carrying the US equipment. He now had to bring this gear to Ahmad Shah Masood, his commander. On September 7, 2001, this covert operative encountered Ahmad Shah in the Afghan region of Panjshir. He asked Ahmad Shah Masood for guidance regarding the delivery of the American equipment. He was encouraged by Commander Masood to leave this technology in Tajikistan and instruct his staff in its usage and intelligence. Ahmad Shah Masood contacted Dr. Abdullah Abdullah from India on September 9, 2001.
At the moment, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah is in charge of the Afghan government. Commander Masood was scheduled to conduct an interview with reporters (Al-Qaeda activists) who had been waiting for it for days before to his crucial meeting with Dr. Abdullah. These reporters committed a suicide bombing while conducting the interview, as I already mentioned in the last episode. Ahmad Shah Masood died in the explosion. The primary player in the most important US strategy to attack the Taliban and Al-Qaeda was Ahmad Shah Masood.
Amrullah Saleh had told Richard Bailey, chief of the Alec Station, about the murder of Ahmad Shah Masood. The following day, when speaking with Richard Bailey, Amrullah insisted that the US continue to supply the Northern Alliance with weapons and assistance despite the death of commander Masood. The list of weapons that were urgently needed would be given to Mr. Bailey on the following phone call, according to Amrullah. Mr. Bailey made the decision to inform the CIA of the situation and relay Amrullah’s message.
He arrived at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, early in the morning. Here, the Counter Terrorism Center Director was providing a normal briefing on Al-Qaida. As a result, Richard Bailey was denied the chance to speak with the CIA on the most recent problems in Afghanistan. At 8:46 am, the Secretary to the Director CTC entered and informed his boss that the World Trade Center had been struck by a tiny jet (WTC). America experienced a Doomsday-like situation from 8:45 am until 12 pm. It was a Boeing 767, not a little plane. The WTC had been struck by more than just one commercial aircraft.
Furthermore, it wasn’t an aviation crash. Actually, a total of 19 individuals had taken control of 4 passenger aircraft, and two of them had attacked the WTC. The 110-story Twin Towers were struck by the two planes and collapsed like a house of cards. Three levels of security were breached when the third jet flew into the Pentagon. It seriously damaged the structure. The fourth plane was headed towards the White House when its occupants decided to change course at great personal danger. In Pennsylvania, this jet went down in a desolate area. On that plane, all of the passengers—including the hijackers—died, just like on the other three.
These details have been brought forward by the US Commission established to look into the 9/11 catastrophe. However, a portion of the world provided a different account of this tragedy. This section held the view that the US orchestrated the 9/11 disaster in order to send troops to Afghanistan. The 9/11 attacks claimed the lives of up to 3000 individuals. The tragedy caused a $55 billion immediate financial loss, which later increased to $3.3 trillion. On September 11, the CIA Director briefed the US President via video link in the late afternoon.
The Director informed the President that Al-qaeda had planned and carried out strikes on the United States. The US President made the decision to get ready to launch an attack on Afghanistan, where Al-Qaeda was active. The Northern Alliance in Afghanistan’s most crucial collaboration was required for it by the US army and CIA. Ahmad Shah Masood, the Alliance’s leader, had passed away. The US need Pakistan, which was then governed by General Musharraf, for its second-most crucial assistance. After 9/11, General Musharraf stopped attending meetings in America and instead spent his time overseeing a garden in Karachi. On September 11, General Musharraf received news of the US assaults while he was at Mazare Quaid.
When Musharraf got home, his military secretary showed him footage of the 9/11 devastation on CNN. General Musharraf claimed that he was able to comprehend the altered situation in a matter of minutes. He understood that the 9/11 attacks had injured the ego of a superpower, which would have responded to them like a wounded animal. If Al-Qaeda was discovered to be responsible for the 9/11 catastrophe, he knew that America would immediately turn to it. And after a few hours, America had just this response. On September 12, 2001, early in the morning, General Musharraf got a call from America.
On the phone, US Secretary of State Colin Powell made it clear that Musharraf needed to determine whether Pakistan would support the US in its fight against Al-Qaida or not. Powell gave Pakistan no opportunity to be impartial, so it had to pick a side. Pakistan will fully cooperate with the United States in the fight against terrorism, General Musharraf promised. What Colin Powell informed Musharraf was a clear danger to Pakistan with a history. The United States had long asked Pakistan to assist in the capture of Osama bin Laden.
However, General Musharraf was ignoring the US demand. Not all threats were made by Colin Powell’s phone call. DG ISI General Mahmood was in the US on September 11th. Richard Armitage, the US’s deputy secretary of state, told General Musharraf that… General Mahmood had warned that Pakistan will be forced into the “stone ages” if it continued to back the Taliban. It was a grave threat that had received only General Musharraf’s endorsement in his book.
Instead, the US President had previously denied making this threat while in Musharraf’s presence. I’m not aware of any dialogue that was mentioned in the press like it was the Stone Age. There is no doubt that the USA exerted significant pressure on General Musharraf. On the other hand, Osama bin Laden had vehemently refuted Al-involvement qaeda’s in the 9/11 attacks. Osama claimed in a statement to the media that Al-Qaeda lacked the resources to carry out a significant attack like 9/11. Taliban also backed Osama bin Laden’s position.
On the other hand, America was preparing for it and had made the decision to catch Osama, dead or alive. In light of this, Pakistan sent a combined mission to Afghanistan consisting of lawmakers and members of the armed forces. The delegation met with Taliban and attempted to explain to them why Osama is the source of US rage and irritation. However, the Taliban steadfastly refused to give Osama bin Laden to anyone or anything. America issued the Taliban a three-day deadline on September 16, 2001, to deliver over Osama or prepare to face US retaliation.
Taliban convened a gathering of religious scholars to ask their judgement in accordance with Shariah law in this circumstance. The religious scholars expressed sympathy to America for the deaths caused by the 9/11 incident. Additionally, they requested that the Taliban government convince Osama to leave Afghanistan as quickly as possible. The US accelerated preparations for an assault on Afghanistan and disregarded the religious scholars’ recommendation. America too need big and important facilities from Pakistan for it.
The most crucial of the seven demands made by the US Ambassador to General Musharraf was for Pakistan to share its logistical and intelligence capabilities. General Musharraf granted the American soldiers access to two Pakistani airbases after agreeing to all conditions. Additionally, Musharraf permitted the transportation of major US military equipment from Karachi to landlocked Afghanistan. The Pakistani religious establishment disapproved of General Musharraf’s choice to back America. On that occasion, General Musharraf made the decision to confide in the people.
In his broadcast speech, he emphasised the phrase “Pakistan first” and described his support for the United States as being focused on Pakistan’s security, economic prosperity, nuclear programme, and Kashmir cause. However, the religious parties disagreed with Musharraf’s viewpoint and protested in the streets. Standing in opposition to Musharraf, religious organisations tended to rally in favour of Osama bin Laden and openly sell his posters. Gallop surveys conducted at the time also revealed significant public discontent with the nation’s support for America.
Along with the general public, General Musharraf’s close aide, DG ISI, Gen. Mahmood, lost faith in his judgement. General Mahmood had gotten considerably closer to the religious areas after the Kargil War. Then General Usmani, the Deputy Chief of the Army Staff, expressed disagreement with Musharraf’s choices. Generals Mahmood and Usmani were crucial figures in both the overthrow of Musharraf and the detention of Nawaz Sharif when he was prime minister. General Mahmood was thought to be more Taliban-friendly. Additionally, General Usmani had developed a strong sense of religion.
These generals believe that Musharraf’s allegiance to the United States may not be in Pakistan’s best interests. However, General Musharraf had a different perspective on the image. Saudi Arabia and Turkey, who are close allies of Pakistan, joined the United States in fighting the Taliban. Taliban relations were broken by Saudi Arabia and the UAE. By promising to assist America in the fight against terrorism, India was attempting to gain the upper hand over Pakistan. India even started the military drills on its border with Pakistan as a proactive measure. The armies of the US were also receiving assistance from Japan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan.
In this case, Pakistan sent both overt and covert threats to the Taliban in order to make them aware of the seriousness of the situation. The Taliban issued a warning to Pakistan, stating that they would strike any bordering nation that backed the United States. Taliban also started supplying the Afghan troops stationed on the Pakistani border with weapons and Stinger missiles. The Taliban had planned to attack the Americans should they enter Pakistan. Additionally, Stinger missiles were installed with Pakistan in mind. Although the Taliban refuted the claims in this regard, a later development showed that the missiles had been installed.
In this situation, Musharraf desired anything that would demonstrate to the public his support for the US. And America supported General Musharraf in his efforts to convey this message. America withdrew the sanctions it had put in place against Pakistan and India after both countries conducted nuclear tests in 1998. The US also restructured Pakistani obligations, which raised the rupee’s value in relation to the dollar. The US agreements also helped Pakistan’s economy. America also gave Pakistan evidence linking Osama to the 9/11 attacks. These proofs were freely accepted by General Musharraf. All of them were presented to the public by General Musharraf to defend his support for America.
The Pakistani army was also wanted by the US to join the fight against the Taliban. Pakistan, however, refused to comply. When the US and its allies were prepared to attack Afghanistan at any moment, Pakistan launched a last-ditch effort for peace. To convince Mullah Omar not to jeopardise the lives of millions of people in Pakistan and Afghanistan for the benefit of one person, Osama bin Laden, Pakistan despatched a delegation of religious academics to the latter. But Mullah Omar once more resisted turning over Osama bin Laden to the United States. In addition to Mullah Omar’s rejection, General Musharraf had to deal with two more issues. The issues came from the General Usmani and General Mahood sides.
On October 8, 2001, two significant stories were reported in the newspapers. The first piece of information concerned General Mahmood’s replacement as DG, ISI, with General Ehsanul Haq. The vice chief of the army staff position was given to General Yousaf in place of General Usmani, a subordinate officer. General Mahmood and General Usmani had no choice but to take an early retirement due to the circumstances. The second major item on October 8, 2001, was the US’s overwhelming bombardment of Afghanistan. Osama and Mullah Omar were still at large despite the heaving barrage of bombs and missiles that were dropped on Afghanistan.
Where did they vanish to? Where did the 19 9/11 hijackers receive their training? Doors were broken open for whose arrest, and why? Who tried to buy off the ISI? What was General Musharraf’s referendum like, and who was for it and against it? In the upcoming episode of “History of Pakistan,” we will provide you with all the information you need. But in the interim, we need your insightful opinion. Please share your thoughts regarding General Musharraf’s choice to support America in the comments area. Whether Musharraf made the correct decision or the wrong one, and why?Contact Us