Clinton's Team Advised Bush on Fighting the Taliban—But He Wasn’t Having It
Summary
Before the September 11 attacks, the U.S. CIA worked with the Northern Alliance, a group opposing the Taliban in Afghanistan, mainly to target al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. During the transition to President Bush’s administration, some advisers wanted to increase support for the Northern Alliance, but the new administration delayed making decisions about U.S. policy toward the Taliban and Afghanistan.Key Facts
- The Northern Alliance was an anti-Taliban group made up of Uzbek and Tajik factions in northern Afghanistan.
- Ahmad Shah Massoud was the Northern Alliance leader and worked closely with U.S. and other Western intelligence agencies.
- The CIA was allowed under President Clinton to support efforts to capture Osama bin Laden but not to overthrow the Taliban.
- In 1999, the CIA secretly coordinated with the Northern Alliance inside Afghanistan against al-Qaeda.
- The CIA provided intelligence and technology, including unmanned drone flights, to the Northern Alliance before 9/11.
- In January 2001, new UN sanctions targeted the Taliban but exempted the Northern Alliance from arms embargoes.
- Some Clinton-era officials urged the Bush administration to increase support for the Northern Alliance, but national security advisors delayed this action to review broader policy options.
- President Bush expressed frustration with the limited anti-terrorism efforts early on but did not immediately change policy toward Afghanistan.
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