Civilian lives halted pre-9/11 bin Laden strike, Clinton discloses

Former US President Bill Clinton recently disclosed on Sunday, September 13, that a CIA operation to neutralize Osama bin Laden prior to the 9/11 attacks was ultimately scrapped. The reason, he explained, was a significant concern that the high-risk mission could result in the death of innocent civilians if it failed. The 80-year-old ex-president shared these details during a radio conversation on WABC’s “Cats Roundtable” program, hosted by John Catsimatidis.

Clinton confirmed to Catsimatidis that he had given the Central Intelligence Agency the authority to “try to take him out.” He further noted that while capturing bin Laden alive would have been ideal, the primary objective was to halt his activities. Expressing his sentiments, the former Democratic leader stated, “I was scared, and I was mad because we tried to get him before, and the CIA at the last minute k!lled the plan that I think might well have succeeded.”

Reflecting on the decision, Clinton explained the agency's apprehension: “But they were afraid that if they missed, they’d k!ll a lot of innocent civilians. They didn’t want to run the risk.” He added that he did not question their judgment at the time, but believed bin Laden was resolute in his intentions, possessing “lots of money and lots of capacity.” Clinton confessed, “I wish we had done even more to get him. I always thought he was our biggest threat … I wanted to get him, and I did what I could to do that.”

The former president also shared his immediate conviction that bin Laden was responsible for the September 11, 2001, attacks. He recalled this realization hitting him the moment he witnessed the second plane strike the Twin Towers on television, noting that the terr*rist leader had been plotting such an assault on US territory for an extended period. Speaking to Catsimatidis, Clinton recounted his personal experience on that day: “At the time, I was in Australia. Hilary was in Washington. But our daughter was in Lower Manhattan, and we were worried to d£ath about her. She was one of the thousands of people who were told to just walk north. We couldn’t get in touch with her.”

He continued, “I was watching television in Australia when the second plane hit. I immediately said that bin Laden did this. They all looked at me and said, ‘How do you know this?’ I said, ‘Well, because the only adversaries we have with the capacity to do this are Iran and bin Laden.” Clinton further reasoned, “And the Iranians wouldn’t do it because we could wipe them off the face of the Earth immediately. And bin Laden is holed up in a cave in Afghanistan.’ I just knew it had to be him. I also knew that he had been planning to do what he did to hit us for a long time.”

Ultimately, bin Laden was killed on May 2, 2011, during a covert and targeted raid by US Navy SEALs on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, a mission carried out during Barack Obama’s tenure as president.

Clinton also commented on the possibility of future terr*rist acts targeting New York City. While acknowledging such an event is “entirely possible,” he asserted that the United States is now “much better prepared” to handle an attack of that magnitude. When questioned about the potential for New York to be a terr*rist target once more, Clinton responded, “I think it’s entirely possible. I think we have to stay on guard about that. We have to make sure we’re getting all the intelligence we can on the issue. I think there is a chance that will happen.”

He elaborated on the current state of readiness: “We’re much better prepared [now] than we were… [But] you only have to miss once, and then you’re screwed. It’s just something that has to be a continuing part of our national security plan.” Concluding his remarks, Clinton articulated his vision for leadership and national cohesion: “If you’re running the country, you want to make big good things happen, and stop big bad things from happening … That’s where I think we are as a country, and where I think we can maybe find unity again.”