Here's one article written by Miniter that challenges the link. Allegedly OBL's funds came from the Saudis matching US dollars, not actual US dollars.
To say that the ISI may have mixed the funds is a far cry from proving that the US supplied OBL "with the best of the best military equipment we had," as Davey Crockett wrote. I await the weblink from FARS though.
I'm familar with Mr. Miniters work.
from the article:
In the course of researching my book on Bill Clinton and bin Laden, I interviewed Bill Peikney, who was CIA station chief in Islamabad from 1984 to 1986, and Milt Bearden, who was CIA station chief from 1986 to 1989. These two men oversaw the disbursement for all American funds to the anti-Soviet resistance. Both flatly denied that any CIA funds ever went to bin Laden. They felt so strongly about this point that they agreed to go on the record, an unusual move by normally reticent intelligence officers. Mr. Peikney added in an e-mail to me: “I don’t even recall UBL [bin Laden] coming across my screen when I was there.” ...Pretty convincing so far, CIA station chiefs Bill Peikney and Mitt Bearden denied that any CIA funds ever went to bin Laden. But Peter Bergen, CNN journalist and adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University interviewed Pakistani Brigadier Mohammad Yousaf, who ran ISI's Afghan operation between 1983 and 1987:
There were two entirely separate rebellions against the Soviets, united only by a common communist enemy. One was financed by Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states and was composed of Islamic extremists who migrated from across the Muslim world. They called themselves “Arab Afghans (search).” Bin Laden was among them. When the Saudis agreed to match U.S. contributions dollar-for-dollar, the sheikhs insisted that their funds go exclusively to the “Arab Afghans,” possibly including bin Laden. Meanwhile, U.S. funds went exclusively to the other rebellion, which was composed of native Afghans. Mr. Bearden told me: “I challenge anyone to give any proof that we gave one dollar to any Arab Afghans, let alone bin Laden.”
"It was always galling to the Americans, and I can understand their point of view, that although they paid the piper they could not call the tune. The CIA supported the mujahideen by spending the taxpayers' money, billions of dollars of it over the years, on buying arms, ammunition, and equipment. It was their secret arms procurement branch that was kept busy. It was, however, a cardinal rule of Pakistan's policy that no Americans ever become involved with the distribution of funds or arms once they arrived in the country. No Americans ever trained or had direct contact with the mujahideen, and no American official ever went inside Afghanistan".Hmmm. Bill & Mitt's story isn't quite as air-tight as Miniter makes it sound.
Allegedly OBL's funds came from the Saudis matching US dollars, not actual US dollars.
Allegedly yes, but both the Saudi money and CIA money went through the ISI funnel. And like Brigadier Yousaf said :"No Americans ever trained or had direct contact with the mujahideen", ...
So how would the CIA know who got the funds and arms?
I guess our children or grandchildren will get to read about it in the declassified histories in 2101.
I don't know what your point or misunderstanding is and don't even want to know, as my post wasn’t to you at all.
Never ever have I thought felt or said we “had it coming” those are YOUR and Bin Laden’s words. Not Mind. I spend all my time on FR on the World Terrorism thread sharing information and news. GOOD GREIF