The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has released a classified report that lays blame on the Bush Administration for allowing Osama bin Laden to get away at the siege of Tora Bora in December of 2001. In one of the most damning clauses, the report states:
[T]he decisions that opened the door for his escape to Pakistan allowed bin Laden to emerge as a potent symbolic figure who continues to attract a steady flow of money and inspire fanatics worldwide.
The report seeks to blame the top leaders of Bush's war cabinet, namely Donald Rumsfeld, former Secretary of Defense, and Tommy Franks, USCENTCOM commander at the time.
According to Gary Berntsen, the ranking CIA officer on the ground at Tora Bora, he claims he made three successive requests to CENTCOM for US Army Rangers to air-drop in to seal the border between Tora Bora and Pakistan. Berntsen claims that at least one of his requests made it directly to the White House. While his request was never formally declined, Berntsen never received an response either. The Rangers never received orders to launch, and bin Laden made it to safety in Pakistan unharmed. Gary Berntsen writes of his account in Afghanistan in his book Jawbreaker.
Since the Senate report is classified, it is not available for public eyes. However, the Senate submitted a press release of its existence and provided a short summary of its findings.
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