Osama bin Laden papers: top 5 revelations

A new trove of letters seized during the Osama bin Laden raid paint an intimate picture of the inner workings and struggles of Al Qaeda, from its dabbling in the stock market to practices that would make any Mafia don proud.

4. Misgivings about suicide bombing

Fayaz Aziz/REUTERS
Residents stand outside a closed gate, near the site of a suspected suicide bomb attack in the outskirts of Peshawar, Pakistan.

One letter to the leader of the Pakistani terrorist group Tehrik-e-Taliban, which was responsible for the shooting rampage in Mumbai, takes him to task for using citizens “as shields without basing their action on the Shari’a” law.

It also decries the “killing [of] the normal Muslims as a result of martyrdom operations that takes place in the marketplaces, mosques, roads, [and] assembly places.” Included in the letter is a “short list on what is acceptable and unacceptable on the subject of kidnapping.” It urges the emir to “take the necessary action to correct your actions and avoid these grave mistakes; otherwise we have to take decisive actions from our end.”

4 of 5
You've read 3 of 3 free articles. Subscribe to continue.
CSM logo

Why is Christian Science in our name?

Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The Christian Science Church, and we’ve always been transparent about that.

The Church publishes the Monitor because it sees good journalism as vital to progress in the world. Since 1908, we’ve aimed “to injure no man, but to bless all mankind,” as our founder, Mary Baker Eddy, put it.

Here, you’ll find award-winning journalism not driven by commercial influences – a news organization that takes seriously its mission to uplift the world by seeking solutions and finding reasons for credible hope.

Explore values journalism About us