8. “Pray for me”: Hanson’s words as recalled in author interview with family member.
1. very different from the vests he usually made: For the initial account of the making of Balawi’s suicide vest, see Sami Yousafzai and Ron Moreau, “Inside Al Qaeda: Nine Years After 9/11, Osama bin Laden’s Network Remains a Shadowy, Little-Understood Enemy,”
2. police discovered that they could often distinguish the dead bomber: For a fuller understanding of the forensics of suicide bombing investigations, see Almogy et al., “Suicide Bombing Attacks: Update and Modifications to the Protocol,”
3. outlandish theories about how the CIA’s missiles found their targets: Specifics provided in interviews with two Taliban associates and a Pakistani law enforcement official.
4. Balawi’s days started at 5:30 A.M.: Details about Balawi’s training camp experiences, including his leg injury, as well as al-Qaeda’s internal debate over his trustworthiness, were provided in interviews with two Pakistani Taliban officials.
5. If you do not march forth, Allah will punish you with a painful torment: For an example of al-Masri’s rhetoric, see his “Message to the People of Pakistan,” on March 26, 2009. English translation provided by www.nefafoundation.org.
6. Some in the group had been interrogated in U.S. detention camps: Conclusion reached by CIA investigators of the Khost attack, as described in author interviews with two participants in the review.
7. “All praise is due to God, the bait fell in the right spot”: Balawi’s words in his Dec. 26, 2009, videotaped interview. English translation provided by SITE Intelligence Group.
8. Among the dead was Abdullah Said al-Libi: For more on this attack, see Bill Roggio, “Al Qaeda Shadow Army Commander Thought Killed in Dec. 17 Strike,”
9. “what is going on in the head of a martyr”: Balawi’s words in essay titled “The Last Writing of Abu Dujana al-Khorasani,” released Feb. 26, 2010, by al-Qaeda’s online magazine
10. “We will get you, CIA team”: Balawi’s words in English in a videotaped suicide message posted on Feb. 28, 2010, by al-Qaeda media arm, as-Sahab. Video provided courtesy of Ben Venzke and IntelCenter, http://www.intelcenter.com/.
1. There was a weightier matter: Dane Paresi’s views about the Balawi case and life at Khost were described in author interviews with two of his Khost colleagues, a family member, and a third person, a former military comrade with whom he spoke in December 2009.
2. he finally arrived at Ghulam Khan: Details of Balawi’s transit through Pakistan to Khost were provided in interviews with three current and one former U.S. intelligence official.
3. “wants to go on a martyrdom-seeking mission”: Hakimullah Mehsud’s and Balawi’s statements in a joint video appearance first broadcast on Jan. 9, 2010, on al-Jazeera television. English transcript provided courtesy of SITE Intelligence Group.
4. “These are the hired dogs”: Balawi’s words in his Dec. 26, 2009, video, op. cit.
5. “Are you going to perform jihad and get yourself killed”: Balawi offers insight into his anxieties over his mission in his essay “The Last Writing of Abu Dujana al-Khorasani,” op. cit.
1. witnesses to the explosion: The immediate aftermath of the explosion and the initial efforts to save the wounded were described in author interviews with three U.S. intelligence officials privy to after-action reports.
2. Alley was nearing the end of his shift: Author interview with Dr. Josh Alley. For more on Alley’s recollections of the day, see his blog at http://www.joshalley.com/node/158.
1. Hayden happened to be in Langley: Accounts of the reaction to the Khost bombing at Langley were described in author interviews with three +intelligence officials and one administration official present at the time.
2. grim task of locating wives and parents: The circumstances surrounding notification of the CIA and Jordanian families were described in author interviews with family members.
1. “A successful epic”: Al-Masri’s reaction to the bombing in a statement posted on jihadist Web sites on Jan. 6, 2010; English translation courtesy of SITE Intelligence Group.
2. “We claim the responsibility for the attack”: Tom Cohen, “Taliban Factions Compete for Credit in CIA Bombing Deaths,” CNN online, Jan. 3, 2010.
3. “Our fidaeen have penetrated the terrorist America”: Hakimullah Mehsud’s words in a videotaped statement recorded April 4, 2010; English translation courtesy of
4. CIA’s senior managers gathered in the director’s office: Account of CIA meeting related in author interviews with two agency officials present at the meeting.
5. CIA Predator carried out the first retaliatory strike: Details of the missile strikes in late December and January were provided in author interviews with two senior agency officials who participated in meetings in which the strikes were discussed.
6. “Hakimullah feared dead”: “Hakimullah Feared Dead in SWA Drone Attack,”
7. the human dimensions of the disaster became fully clear: The events at Dover were described in author interviews with two CIA officials and four family members present at the time.
8. a series of private services: Private memorials described in author interviews with family members who participated.
9. “they went to another country to defend our country”: Remarks by President Obama and Leon Panetta at Feb. 5, 2010, memorial service, as recorded by CIA and posted on the agency’s Web site at https://www.cia.gov/? news-information?/press-releases-statements?/press-release-2010/?president-and?-cia-director?-speak-at-?memorial-? service.html.
1. proper burial for Elizabeth Hanson: Details of the service provided in author interviews with two CIA officials and a family member present for the burial on May 21, 2010.
2. they had located an al-Qaeda operative: CIA effort to target al-Masri described in author interviews with two senior agency officials privy to the details.
3. pair of longtime Washington hands: Author interviews with Thomas Pickering and Charles E. Allen.
4. the major preoccupation was the good health and safety of the man: Author interview with Thomas Pickering.
5. “The most important failure was one of imagination”: 9/11 Commission report, op. cit.
1. Bin Laden set up housekeeping: Details of Osama bin Laden’s hiding place, as well as the May 1, 2011, Navy SEAL raid that led to his death, were compiled from official White House and Defense Department statements and from interviews with two Obama administration officials briefed on the events.
2. “We think we’ve found a path forward”: Details of CIA discussions and activities during the six-year search for bin Laden’s courier were described in interviews with two current and two former intelligence officials with direct
