Editing Al-Qaeda (section)

==Early 1990s: Expansion and Early Attacks==
After the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989, al Qaeda shifted its focus to new targets, particularly the United States, which bin Laden viewed as an imperialist force supporting corrupt Middle Eastern regimes. Ghost Wars details al Qaeda’s relocation to Sudan in 1991, where bin Laden established training camps and businesses to fund operations. Coll notes, “Sudan provided al Qaeda a safe haven to plan attacks and build its global network” (Coll, 2004, p. 240).

1000 Years for Revenge by Peter Lance (2003) and Triple Cross by Peter Lance (2006) highlight al Qaeda’s early operations in the United States, particularly through Ali Mohamed, a double agent who infiltrated the CIA, Green Berets, and FBI while working for bin Laden. Lance writes, “Ali Mohamed was al Qaeda’s master spy, training operatives in New York and providing intelligence to bin Laden” (Lance, 2003, p. 78). Mohamed’s activities facilitated the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, carried out by al Qaeda-linked operatives like Ramzi Yousef. Triple Cross adds, “The 1993 bombing was al Qaeda’s first major strike on U.S. soil, exposing FBI vulnerabilities” (Lance, 2006, p. 112). Keep in mind that the CIA and NSA were monitoring al Qaeda, the mosques and all communication during this period.

The Forty Years War by Len Colodny (2009) provides geopolitical context, noting that U.S. neoconservative policies in the Middle East, including support for Israel and military presence in Saudi Arabia, was knowingly used by the intelligence serves to serve as a basis to exploit al Qaeda terror. While not directly citing al Qaeda, Colodny argues, “U.S. foreign policy in the 1990s radicalized Islamist movements” (Colodny, 2009, p. 245), aligning with al Qaeda’s growing rhetoric. Peter Tomsen  served as U.S. Special Envoy to Afghanistan with the rank of Ambassador from 1989 to 1992, appointed by President George H.W. Bush. In this role, he had close relationships with Afghan leaders, including President Hamid Karzai and Ahmad Shah Masood, and dealt with senior Taliban, warlords, and religious leaders involved in the region's conflicts. These developments were being tracked by the State Department and coordinated with the CIA.

[[Gary C Schroen]] is explicitly identified as having served as CIA Station Chief for both Afghanistan and Pakistan in the 1980s and 1990s. He is described as one of the agency's foremost experts on the Near East. In the late 1990s, he was involved in the CIA's Mission Center for Counterterrorism and highly involved in attempts to kill or capture Osama bin Laden. The CIA station chief, that worked to create al-Qaeda and bin Laden was in charge of finding and capturing him. He later became Deputy Chief of the CIA's Near East Division in its Directorate of Operations from 1999 to 2001. After 9/11, he famously led the first team of CIA officers to enter Afghanistan.

Meanwhile in next door Pakistan, [[Milton Bearden]]: Served as CIA station chief in Pakistan from 1986-1989. He was instrumental in the escalation of CIA activities in Afghanistan during the latter part of the Soviet-Afghan War. Robert L. Grenier served as station chief in Islamabad from 1999-2001.