India Among Countries Targeted by Osama bin Laden, Declassified CIA Files Reveal

New Delhi: India was among the countries that former Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden had targeted for attacks, according to declassified documents released by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

The documents were released ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. The CIA made public more than 70 intelligence reports related to bin Laden on Friday. The documents, which were submitted to US presidents between 1998 and 2001, run to more than 100 pages and provide details about the threat posed by bin Laden in the years leading up to the 9/11 attacks.

A 1998 report reveals that bin Laden had identified several countries, including India, as targets. Pakistan, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Uganda were among the other countries on the list.

The information is contained in a classified document titled “Bin Ladin’s Terrorist Network Still a Threat.” The document indicates that the US had received warnings about the threat posed by bin Laden’s terrorist network well before the September 11 attacks.