Guantanamo Bay
One of the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay personally helped Osama bin Laden escape from Tora Bora in December 2001, according to a Pentagon document released last week. It was the first official confirmation that bin Laden was actually in Tora Bora when allied forces closed in. During last year’s presidential campaign, Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry accused President Bush of letting bin Laden escape from his hideout. Bush said that military leaders “don’t know to this day” whether the al Qaida leader was actually there. But in a document released through a Freedom of Information Act request, the Pentagon says it has been holding a bin Laden bodyguard who “assisted in the escape of Osama bin Laden from Tora Bora.” Officials refused to provide any other information, saying it was classified.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
What is 'impoundment' and how does it work?The Trump administration grabbed at the 'power of the purse' in Congress, using a little-known executive action that could have massive implications for the future
-
'Smart public policy can make a difference'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Extremists embrace Musk's salute as Tesla investors fretIN THE SPOTLIGHT The tech titan insists his Nazi-reminiscent gesture had nothing to do with fascism, even as white nationalists rally around the fascistic salute.
