[45][46] The CIA's formal designations for these individuals are paramilitary operations officers and specialized skills officers. The primary strengths of SAC paramilitary officers are operational agility, adaptability, and deniability. As overt support for one element of an insurgency can be counterproductive due to the unfavorable impression of the United States in some countries, in such cases covert assistance allows the US to assist without damaging the reputation of its beneficiaries. As a result, the SAD/SOG, U.S. Army special forces joint teams, the Kurdish Peshmerga, and the 173d Airborne Brigade were the entire northern force against the Iraqi Army during the invasion. [40], In an article for ABC News, former Deputy Secretary of Defense and retired CIA paramilitary officer Mick Mulroy explained that the term "covert action" is derived from Presidential Findings authorizing the CIA to conduct specific special activities to support U.S. national security objectives. One of the commandos fired grenades to help disperse the attackers and clear an entrance to the mission. [53] Like its successor, the CIA, OSS included both human intelligence functions and special operations paramilitary functions. The Boland Amendment was a compromise because of the U.S. Democratic Party did not have enough votes for a comprehensive ban on military aid. [85], In 1979, the U.S.-backed Anastasio Somoza Debayle dictatorship in Nicaragua fell to the socialist Sandinistas. How a Plot Convulsed Iran in '53 (and in '79)", "The History Place Vietnam War 19451960", "US Army Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth", "They were smokejumpers when the CIA sent them to Laos. [177] Major Zembiec was killed while trying to protect his soldiers, who were members of the Iraqi Army. [133][135], General McChrystal's strategy included the lash up of special operations forces from the U.S. Military and from SAC/SOG to duplicate the initial success and the defeat of the Taliban in 2001[136] and the success of the "Surge" in Iraq in 2007. [283], In 2002, the George W. Bush Administration prepared a list of "terrorist leaders" the CIA is authorized to kill in a targeted killing if capture is impractical and civilian casualties can be kept to an acceptable number. 1 guy in Pakistan," adds Mahmood Shah, a retired Pakistani Army brigadier and a former chief of the Federally Administered Tribal Area, or FATA, Mehsud's base. [6] The group generally recruits personnel from special mission units within the U.S. Special Operations community. He was honored with an Intelligence Star for his valor in combat. [8] The Latin motto of SAC is Tertia Optio, which means "Third Option," as covert action represents an additional option within the realm of national security when diplomacy and military action are not feasible.[9]. The sea-borne invasion force landed on April 17, and fighting lasted until April 19, 1961. All of these Paramilitary Operations Officers operated through a CIA front organization called the Joint Advisory Commission, Korea (JACK), headquartered at Tongnae, a village near Pusan, on the peninsula's southeast coast. No large Army or Marine force was employed.[122]. Well-trained Korean guerrillas carried out these operations. [citation needed] Meanwhile, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the deputy to al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, issued a message calling for all Muslims to go to Somalia. Vickers was a young Paramilitary Operations Officer from SAD/SOG. [47] The Armor and Special Programs Department is charged with the development, testing, and covert procurement of new personnel and vehicular armor and maintenance of stockpiles of ordnance and weapons systems used by SOG, almost all of which must be obtained from clandestine sources abroad, in order to provide SOG operatives and their foreign trainees with plausible deniability in accordance with U.S. Congressional directives. [282] Prior to the beginning of the "War on Terror", SAC/SOG located and captured many notable militants and international criminals, including Abimael Guzmn and Carlos the Jackal. The mission of training and leading guerrillas in due course went to the United States Army Special Forces, but those missions required to remain covert were performed by the (Deputy) Directorate of Plans and its successor the Directorate of Operations of the CIA. They also provided a model, along with the other CIA-sponsored ground-based, paramilitary Korean operations, for the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam-Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG) activities conducted by the U.S. military and the CIA/SOD (now Special Activities Center) in Vietnam. Global registered shares represent the same class of shares. [209], On February 5, 2010, the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and CIA's SAD/SOG conducted a joint raid and apprehended Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. U.S. assistance to the Tibetan resistance ceased after the 1972 Nixon visit to China, after which the United States and China normalized relations.[59]. A senior U.S. counter-terrorism said U.S. intelligence agencies are "80 to 85 percent" certain that Saad bin Laden is dead. [189] On February 14, the CIA drone killed 27 taliban and al-Qaeda fighters in a missile strike in south Waziristan, a militant stronghold near the Afghan border where al-Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri were believed to be hiding. [125] Former CIA station chief Gary Berntsen, as well as a subsequent Senate investigation, claimed that the combined American special operations task force was largely outnumbered by al-Qaeda forces and that they were denied additional U.S. troops by higher command. The U.S. side was represented by paramilitary operations officers from SAD/SOG and the Army's 10th Special Forces Group (10th SFG). [58] Shortly thereafter, the five men were covertly returned to Tibet "to assess and organize the resistance" and selected another 300 Tibetans for training. "Task Force 121 were actually the ones who pulled Saddam out of the hole" said Robert Andrews, former deputy assistant Secretary of Defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict. The unit was named Special Activities Division (SAD) prior to 2015. The author refers to CIA's Special Activities Division as "a highly-classified branch of the CIA and the most effective, black operations force in the world. He is the most recent star added to the memorial wall at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. [217], On May 1, 2011, President Barack Obama announced that Osama bin Laden had been killed earlier that day in Abbottabad, Pakistan by "a small team of Americans" acting under his direct orders during a CIA operation under Director Leon Panetta. CIA Paramilitary Operations Officers Grayston Lynch and William "Rip" Robertson led the first assault on the beaches, and supervised the amphibious landings. As a result, the idea was shelved. [2], The Special Operations Group is responsible for operations that include clandestine or covert operations with which the US government does not want to be overtly associated. 30 Jul 2019 Tom Secker. [30] Four members of the SAD/SOG team received CIA's rare Intelligence Star for "extraordinary heroism". [130][131], Also, in 2009, General Stanley McChrystal, the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, planned to request an increase in teams of CIA operatives, including their elite paramilitary officers, to join with U.S. military special operations forces. NISA is considered a professional Somali security force that can be relied upon to neutralize the terrorist threat. [150], On November 5, 2002, a missile launched from a CIA-controlled Predator drone killed al-Qaeda members traveling in a remote area in Yemen. "[15] There is some question as to whether former Vice President Dick Cheney instructed the CIA not to inform Congress. These paramilitary activities were based in Honduras and Costa Rica. [242], On March 9, 2007, the alleged CIA officer Robert Levinson was kidnapped from Iran's Kish Island. Because these officers are taken from the most highly trained units in the U.S. military and then provided with extensive additional training to become CIA clandestine intelligence officers, many U.S. security experts assess them as the most elite of the U.S. special missions units.[48]. [133][134] The officer had extensive experience in war zones, including two previous tours in Afghanistan with one as the Chief of Station, as well as tours in the Balkans, Baghdad and Yemen. Congress later resumed aid to the Contras, totaling over $300million. Freedman was posthumously awarded the Intelligence Star on January 5, 1993, for his "extraordinary heroism."[92]. Jones, the only contractor with the CIA's paramilitary Global Response Staff (GRS) who has come out publicly as gay, said that what had him so terrified was a disturbing pattern of harassment he . [139][140] These units grew to include over 3,000 operatives by 2010 and have been involved in sustained heavy fighting against the enemy. Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Mick Mulroy said, if confirmed, his death would be "very significant." [73][74], MAC-V SOG (Studies and Observations Group, which was originally named the Special Operations Group, but was changed for cover purposes) was created and active during the Vietnam War. The Agency's SAD is itself. Many of the fighters were killed, and the fortunes of the rebel army reversed. [236] This event was called Operation Ajax. "Without a doubt he was Al Qaeda's No. Together, the SAC/SOG comprises a complete combined arms covert paramilitary force. [31], NATO member Turkey refused to allow its territory to be used by the U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division for the invasion. Direct military aid by the United States was eventually forbidden by the Boland Amendment of the Defense Appropriations Act of 1983. Copy it to easily share with friends. [130] In December 2009, The New York Times reported that President Obama ordered an expansion of the drone program with senior officials describing the program as "a resounding success, eliminating key terrorists and throwing their operations into disarray". The GRS mission calls for the. CIA Licensed Decal Sticker 3x5 inches Laptop Decor (CIA NCS DO SAD SOEG ISA Intelligence Support Activity Task Force Orange) : Amazon.ca: Electronics Tactical units within SAC can also carry out covert political action while deployed in hostile and austere environments. 10th SFG soldiers were awarded three Silver Stars and six Bronze Stars with V for valor for this battle alone[164] and several paramilitary officers were awarded the Intelligence Star for valor in combat. [164] Sargat was also the only facility that had traces of chemical weapons discovered in the Iraq war.[31][165][167]. [213], On February 20, Muhammad Haqqani, son of Jalaluddin Haqqani, was one of four people killed in the drone strike in Pakistan's tribal region in North Waziristan, according to two Pakistani intelligence sources. [30] This team organized the Kurdish Peshmerga for the subsequent U.S. led invasion. He explained that a senior Taliban official had taken her as a wife and had sharply restricted the time she could spend with her family. Agency officers had strict instructions not to participate in interrogations of prisoners, and to avoid the area where prisoners were held. [80] An alternative theory claims that all of K-129 was recovered[81] and that the official account was an "elaborate cover-up". [27], Propaganda includes leaflets, newspapers, magazines, books, radio, and television, all of which are geared to convey the U.S. message appropriate to the region. [68] These teams linked up with U.S. Army Special Forces and Bolivian Special Forces to track down and capture Guevara, who was a special prize because of his leading role in the Cuban Revolution. [211] "The seizure of the Afghan Taliban's top military leader in Pakistan represents a turning point in the U.S.-led war against the militants", U.S. officials and analysts said. The operation utilized all of SAC's components to include political action, covert influence, and paramilitary operations. [71] The ethnic minority forces numbered in the tens of thousands. MyLINK Submission All applicants must be: U.S. citizens (dual U.S. citizens also eligible) At least 18 years of age Willing to move to the Washington, DC area Able to complete security and medical evaluations [284], SAC/SOG teams have been dispatched to the country of Georgia, where dozens of al Qaeda fugitives from Afghanistan are believed to have taken refuge with Chechen separatists and thousands of refugees in the Pankisi Gorge. OSS also helped arm, train and supply resistance movements, including Mao Zedong's People's Liberation Army in China and the Viet Minh in French Indochina, in areas occupied by the Axis powers. Condition is Used. Reports stated that seven to ten militants were killed to include one top al-Qaida leader. A large covert operation typically has components that involve many or all of these categories as well as paramilitary operations. This will make its station there among the largest in the agency's history. The success of these operations is believed to have caused senior Taliban leaders to significantly alter their operations and cancel key planning meetings. It was the first known helicopter takedown of suspects in a moving car. These include: Abu Zubaydah,[276] the chief of operations for al-Qaeda; Ramzi bin al-Shibh,[277] the so-called "20th hijacker";[278] Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C.;[279] Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, alleged to be the mastermind of the USS Cole bombing and leader of al Qaeda operations in the Persian Gulf prior to his capture in November 2002;[280] Abu Faraj al-Libi, al Qaeda's "field general" believed to have taken the role of No. and in July 2010, Director Panetta chose a former chief of SAC as the new NCS Director. Waugh also led the last combat special reconnaissance parachute insertion into enemy territory occupied by communist North Vietnamese Army (NVA) troops on June 22, 1971. [202][203], The CIA is also increasing its campaign using Predator missile strikes on al-Qaeda in Pakistan. [169][170] Special operations troops probably numbered around 40. Paramilitary operations officers often attend the Clandestine Service Trainee (CST) program, which trains them as clandestine intelligence operatives and an internal paramilitary training course. [285] Per senior intelligence officers, this program was an attempt to avoid the civilian casualties that can occur during Predator drone strikes using Hellfire missiles. [29], SAC's existence became better known as a result of the "War on Terror". On July 7, 2008, Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist and author Seymour Hersh wrote an article in the New Yorker stating that the Bush Administration had signed a Presidential Finding authorizing the CIA to begin cross border paramilitary operations from Iraq and Afghanistan into Iran. [89] Some allege that the techniques used to interrogate prisoners in El Salvador foreshadowed those later used in Iraq and Afghanistan. AQAP has yet to officially confirm his death", "U.S. [76] One former smokejumper and paramilitary officer, Mike Oehlerich, believed he should have been on that flight, but they accidentally missed their pickup to the airport. The car ground to a halt as commandos roped down from hovering Blackhawks [sic], surrounded the car, and handcuffed Ato. [84] In the 1985 edition of "Studies in Intelligence", the CIA's in-house journal that outsiders rarely get to see, the CIA describes the "staggering expense and improbable engineering feats" that culminated in the August 1974 mission. Giving Aid to Iraqi Kurds Battling Islamic State, or ISIS", "Unleashed CIA Zapped 8 Qaeda Lieutenants Since July", "British terror mastermind Rashid Rauf 'killed in US missile strike', "Pakistan: Suspected U.S. Missile Strike Kills 27", "CIA's Pakistan drone strikes carried out by regular US air force personnel", "U.S. Officials: Al-Qaida Leadership Cadre 'Decimated', "CIA Director Panetta Warns Against Politicization", "25 Militants Are Killed in Attack in Pakistan", "Leon Panetta gets the CIA back on its feet", "Bin Laden Son Reported Killed In Pakistan", "C.I.A. [210] This capture sent the message that the Taliban leadership is not safe in Afghanistan or Pakistan. [182] This is a testament to SAD being the preeminent force for unconventional warfare and their long-standing relationship with the most effective fighting force in the region, the Kurdish Peshmerga. [190], According to the documentary film Drone, by Tonje Schei, since 2002 the U.S. Air Force 17th Reconnaissance Squadron has been working for the CIA as "customer", carrying out at least some of the armed missions in Pakistan. Other former National Guard members helped to form the backbone of the Nicaraguan Counterrevolution or Contra. [246][247] In response, the Obama administration sent in SAC paramilitary operatives to assess the situation and gather information on the opposition forces. [191], In a National Public Radio (NPR) report dated February 3, 2008, a senior official stated that al-Qaeda has been "decimated" by SAD/SOG's air and ground operations. One component of the Phoenix Program was involved in the capture and killing of suspected Viet Cong (VC) members. Texas Fusion Center. This list is called the "high value target list". [193][194], These covert attacks have increased significantly under President Obama, with as many at 50 al-Qaeda militants being killed in the month of May 2009 alone. U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to confirm reports that the U.S. had killed al-Raymi, by retweeting reports claiming that the CIA had conducted the strike. This program was considered too limited to have the desired outcome. Their study determined that the CIA should maintain this capability and be the "sole government agency conducting covert action." [144], In January 2013, a CIA drone strike killed Mullah Nazir, a senior Taliban commander in the South Waziristan area of Pakistan believed responsible for carrying out the insurgent effort against the U.S. military in Afghanistan. [60] These paramilitary teams were responsible for numerous maritime raids and ambushes behind North Korean lines, as well as prisoner of war rescue operations. [2][35] The CIA must have a presidential finding in order to conduct these activities under the Hughes-Ryan amendment to the 1991 Intelligence Authorization Act. These activities included maritime operations behind North Korean lines. TOF provides comprehensive family resiliency programs, financial support for the families of paramilitary officers killed in action, and it works behind the scenes to "quietly help those who quietly serve. [10], SAC provides the United States National Security Council with alternative options when overt military and/or diplomatic actions are not viable or politically feasible. The CIA's Secret War in Tibet, Kenneth Conboy, James Morrison, The University Press of Kansas, 2002. Goes After al-Qaida Suspects in Somalia", "U.S. Manager Executive Manager Assistant Head Manager After the Chinese invasion of Tibet in October 1950, the CIA inserted paramilitary (PM) teams into Tibet to train and lead Tibetan resistance fighters against the People's Liberation Army of China. The CIA's efforts have been given credit for assisting in ending the Soviet involvement in Afghanistan. [37][218][219] The helicopter raid was executed from a CIA forward operating base in Afghanistan by the elements of the U.S. [15][275] SAC/SOG paramilitary teams have apprehended many of the senior leaders. [78][79] A mechanical failure caused two-thirds of the submarine to break off during recovery,[77] but SAC recovered two nuclear-tipped torpedoes, cryptographic machines and the bodies of six Soviet submariners. Al-Raymi was the target of the January 29, 2017, special operations raid in which Navy SEAL Ryan Owens was killed. [152][153] Former Deputy U.S. Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz called it "a very successful tactical operation" and said "such strikes are useful not only in killing terrorists but in forcing al-Qaeda to change its tactics". The stunning victory of the horse soldiers 350 Special Forces soldiers, 100 C.I.A. [175][176] Reports from fellow paramilitary officers stated that the flash radio report sent was "five wounded and one martyred". Publications. During his time at MACV-SOG in Vietnam, he developed and conducted the first combat High Altitude-Low Opening (HALO) jump. In December, the Islamic Courts warned Ethiopia they would declare war if Ethiopia did not remove all its troops from Somalia. [297][299][298] The other names remain secret, even in death. Baradar was the most significant Taliban figure to be detained since the beginning of the Afghan War more than eight years ago until that date. [82], Also, in the 1970s, the U.S. Navy, the National Security Agency (NSA) and SAD[83] conducted Operation Ivy Bells and a series of other missions to place wiretaps on Soviet underwater communications cables. [68] On October 9, 1967, Guevara was executed by Bolivian soldiers on the orders of CIA Paramilitary Operations Officer Flix Rodrguez shortly after being captured, according to CIA documents. [39], The Pentagon commissioned a study to determine whether the CIA or the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) should conduct covert action paramilitary operations. The next time Jones saw the magic cane, an hour later, Garrison had it in his hand. [56][57] The PM teams then advised and led these commandos against the Chinese, both from Nepal and India and in some cases worked with Research and Analysis Wing. The shocking massacre in Khost, Afghanistan, on December 30th left seven CIA officers dead by an al Qaeda suicide bomber at their base. According to interviews with several senior officials, this officer "was uniformly well-liked and admired. [225] Results from the DNA samples taken in Afghanistan were compared with those of a known relative of bin Laden's and confirmed the identity. War in Syria", "How Trump can withdraw US military forces, and salvage US interests in Syria", "ISIS leader al-Baghdadi believed to have been killed in a US military raid, sources say | CNN Politics", "ISIS leader killed in daring U.S. raid in Syria, Trump says", "Tip from disaffected militant set in motion operation that killed ISIS leader al-Baghdadi", "Isis Leader al Baghdadi Dead After US Special Forces Raid Hideout in Syria: Sources", "Trump says Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi blew himself up as U.S. [186][187] The CIA Director authorized the continuation of these operations and on January 23, SAD/SOG performed killings of 20 individuals in northwestern Pakistan that were terrorists. Among the fallen: two women, one the chief of base and . The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency 's Mission Center for Counterterrorism (often referred to as the Counterterrorism Mission Center or CTMC, formerly the Counterterrorism Center, or simply CTC) was established in 1986, and is a division of the CIA's Directorate of Operations. [17] These efforts did, however, build many of the relationships that would prove essential in 2001 U.S. The four principal U.S. advisers responsible for the training and operational planning of those special missions were Dutch Kramer, Tom Curtis, George Atcheson, and Joe Pagnella. Living far from the equator. [156], In 2009, the Obama administration authorized continued lethal operations in Yemen by the CIA. [11], Elements of the Special Activities Division were seen in the CIA's Phoenix Program. A U.S. intelligence source stated that CIA paramilitary teams are directly embedded with Ethiopian forces in Somalia, allowing for the tactical intelligence to launch these operations. These missteps by GRS members have given rising comprehension of and recognition to the CIA's most secretive unit: the Special Activities Division, or SAD. If so, there would still be a chance to rebuild and assist and coordinate (with Afghan ANSF commandos) and continue to keep a small footprint while allowing free elections and pushing back the Taliban/AQ forces that have failed but continue to attempt their taking back parts of the country, as they have had between 2015 through 2016. [288][289] Ronald Kessler states in his book The CIA at War: Inside the Secret War Against Terror, that although paramilitary operations are a strain on resources, they are winning the war against terrorism. [171][174], In May 2007, Marine Major Douglas A. Zembiec was serving in SAD/SOG Ground Branch in Iraq when he was killed by small arms fire while leading a raid with Iraq Special Forces. He ranked second to Mullah Muhammad Omar, the Taliban's founder and was known to be a close associate of Osama bin Laden. At the height of its influence during World War II, the OSS employed almost 24,000 people.[54]. The Special Activities Division (SAD) is a division in the United States Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) National Clandestine Service (NCS) responsible for covert operations known as "special activities". While the CIA was just one part of MAC-V SOG, it did have operational control of some of the programs. The program consisted of teams of SAC paramilitary officers organized to execute targeted killing operations against al Qaeda operatives around the world in any country. Several North Vietnamese officials have made statements about the effectiveness of Phoenix. Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, leader of the Islamic Courts, called for a jihad, or holy war, against Ethiopia and encouraged foreign Muslim fighters to come to Somalia. [240], In November 1979, a group of Islamist students and militants took over the American embassy in support of the Iranian Revolution. HALO and HAHO (High Altitude-High Opening) are also known as Military Free Fall (MFF). [147], The Trump administration doubled down on the covert war in Afghanistan by increasing the number of paramilitary officers from SAD fighting alongside and leading the Afghan CTPT's, supported by Omega Teams from JSOC. In a 2004 U.S. News & World Report article, "A firefight in the mountains," the author states: Viking Hammer would go down in the annals of Special Forces history a battle fought on foot, under sustained fire from an enemy lodged in the mountains, and with minimal artillery and air support. These operations were covered in detail in the 1998 book Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage. Entdecke CIA SAD SOG Rapid Response Team RRT SCHWARZ Herausforderungsmnze in groer Auswahl Vergleichen Angebote und Preise Online kaufen bei eBay Kostenlose Lieferung fr viele Artikel! [137] This strategy proved highly successful and worked very well in Afghanistan with SAC/SOG and JSOC forces conducting raids nearly every night having "superb results" against the enemy. [255][258], In early September 2013, President Obama told U.S. Finally, a tier-one personality was in custody. It honors CIA employees who died in the line of duty. He is well known in CIA lore as "the man who saved Hamid Karzai's life when the CIA led the effort to oust the Taliban from power in 2001". Combined they are considered the most effective units in Afghanistan and the linchpin of the counter insurgency and counter-terrorism effort. Their efforts have already resulted in 15 Arab militants linked to al Qaeda being captured. Some experts assess that the CIA Director at that time Leon Panetta has been more aggressive in conducting paramilitary operations in Pakistan than his predecessor. The operation in the Bilal military cantonment area in the city of Abbottabad resulted in the acquisition of extensive intelligence on the future attack plans of al-Qaeda. [157] As a result, the SAD/SOG and JSOC joined together to aggressively target al-Qaeda operatives in that country, both through leading Yemenese special forces and intelligence driven drone strikes. [62] This invasion followed the successful overthrow by the CIA of the Mosaddeq government in Iran in 1953[63] and Arbenz government in Guatemala in 1954,[64] but was a failure both militarily and politically. Until December 2006, Somalia's government had no power outside of the town of Baidoa, 150 miles (240km) from the capital. Between the CIA's original creation by the National Security Act of 1947 and various mergers and reorganizations through 1952, the wartime OSS functions generally ended up in the CIA. The Special Activities Center (SAC) is a division of the United States Central Intelligence Agency responsible for covert and paramilitary operations. These operations would be against Quds Force, the commando arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, public and private sector strategic targets, and "high-value targets" in the war on terror. Patman, R.G. As the author noted, GB paramilitary officers are primarily recruited from. [292], In 2019, Pulitzer Prize finalist Annie Jacobsen's book, "Surprise, Kill, Vanish: The Secret History of CIA Paramilitary Armies, Operators, and Assassins" was released. After the end of World War II, the U.S. agreed at Potsdam to turn Vietnam back to their previous French rulers, and in 1950 the U.S. began providing military aid to the French. [184] Before leaving office, President George W. Bush authorized SAD's successful killing of eight senior al-Qaeda operatives via targeted air strikes. [195][196][197] In June 2009, sixty Taliban fighters were killed while at a funeral to bury fighters that had been killed in previous CIA attacks. It covered only appropriated funds spent by intelligence agencies. officers, and 15,000 Northern Alliance fighters routing a Taliban army 50,000 strong deserves a hallowed place in American military history. Also enrolled to support CIA objectives were the Mujahideen-e-Khalq, known in the West as the M.E.K., and the Baluchis insurgents.