AL QAEDA SUPREMO OSAMA BIN LADEN MAY HAVE believed an unseen force was protecting him.
He survived close calls fighting the Soviet troops in Afghanistan but was never in as much peril as when sheltering in the caves of Tora Bora with the core of Al Qaeda leadership, three months after 9/11. By December 2001, the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan lay in tatters, attacked by vengeful B-52 bombers from the air and the Northern Alliance and US special forces on the ground. Bin Laden was caught between the hammer of US special forces and their Afghan allies fighting their way up towards his mountain cave redoubt and the anvil of Pakistani frontier troops blocking his escape. When it seemed like all was lost for the terrorist chief, providence once again came to his assistance in the form of another sensational terror attack. This one, carried out by Pakistani terrorists against India’s Parliament in New Delhi on December 11, 2001. The attack saw India deploy its army along the border threatening Pakistan with war. The Pakistani anvil disappeared. An escape route opened up for the terrorist chief and his followers who would live to fight another day. The attack on India’s Parliament, it seems, was no coincidence. Excerpts from The Exile:
November 25, 2001, Tora Bora
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his fighters reached Osama high up in the White Mountains, exhausted from the climb and carrying the extra baggage of distressing news. The bin Laden family convoy had been ambushed at the border. Like so many other Arabs, their driver had been hog-tied with electrical wire and turned over to the Americans for a $5,000 bounty, while their chaperone, Osama’s autistic son Saad, and his brother-in-law, the Saudi husband of Osama’s daughter Fatima, were “missing, presumed dead”.
This story is from the May 29, 2017 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 29, 2017 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
BJP's Big Paschim Test
On paper, the BJP-RLD tie-up is a winner for the NDA in west UP, though the INDIA bloc thinks otherwise. The BSP's entry with mixed candidates can unsettle both alliances
Why Gen V Matters
The Way The 210 Million-Strong Generation Viksit Bharat Casts Its Vote Will Determine The Outcome Of This Election As It Has In The Past
Heart Stopper
Cushions with tales of beauty, serenity, art and nature
THE NIPPON NARRATIVE
Say konnichiwa to good design and sayōnara to bad aesthetics, as this apartment in Bangalore is a lesson in how to use Japanese design effectively
RURAL RESPLENDENCE
This second home in a small village in Uttar Pradesh brings to life the beauty and simplicity of locally sourced materials
Curves in the Right Places
Arches may be taking over interior design, but how and where you place them in your home can make or mar the look of the room
Marvels in Mud
Here's how this humble material is changing the way we look at eco-friendly homes in India
DESIGN FOR THE AGES
Five homes, five distinct design styles that help decode how to curate age-appropriate spaces
TAKE FIVE
FROM RUGS TO CUSHIONS, THESE DECOR PIECES WILL GIVE YOUR INTERIORS AN INSTANT MAKEOVER THIS SEASON
TRENDY TABLESCAPES
At the turn of the season, three fashion labels throw a soiree that is stylish, suave and sophisticated