This report is a study of 17 de-classified documents captured during the Abbottabad raid and released to the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC). They consist of electronic letters or draft letters, totaling 175 pages in the original Arabic and 197 pages in the English translation. The earliest is dated September 2006 and the latest April 2011.  These internal al-Qa`ida communications were authored by several  leaders, most prominently Usama bin Ladin.  In contrast to his public statements that focused on the injustice of those he believed to be the “enemies” of Muslims, namely corrupt “apostate” Muslim rulers and their Western “overseers,” the focus of Bin Ladin’s private letters is Muslims’ suffering at the hands of his jihadi “brothers”. He is at pain advising them to abort domestic attacks that cause Muslim civilian casualties and focus on the United States, “our desired goal.” Bin Ladin’s frustration with regional jihadi groups and his seeming inability to exercise control over their actions and public statements is the most compelling story to be told on the basis of the 17 de-classified documents. “Letters from Abbottabad” is an initial exploration and contextualization of 17 documents that will be the grist for future academic debate and discussion.

A note on translation:

The quality of the English translation provided to the CTC is not adequate throughout. When the translation was deemed inadequate, quotations cited in this report have either been amended or translated anew by Nelly Lahoud. Furthermore, the conversion of the dating of the letters from the Hijri to the Gregorian calendar is inaccurate in some places. The Appendix provides corrected dates to some of the letters, along with some pointers on how some letters relate to others.  For those wishing to conduct their own analysis of the documents, it is highly recommended to refer to the original Arabic documents, not the translations.

 


Associated Harmony Documents

Letter from UBL to `Atiyatullah Al-Libi 3

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Letter from Usama Bin Laden to `Atiyatullah Al-Libi

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This letter was authored by Usama bin Ladin and addressed to Shaykh Mahmud (`Atiyya `Abdul Rahman) on 27 August 2010....

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SOCOM-2012-0000005

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Letter to Azmarai

SOCOM-2012-0000006

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Letter to Hakimullah Mahsud

SOCOM-2012-0000007

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Jaysh al-Islam’s Questions to `Atiyatullah Al-Libi

SOCOM-2012-0000008

This letter was originally an exchange between Jaysh al-Islam and `Atiyya that was forwarded first to a certain `Abd al-Hamid...

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A Suggestion to Change the Name of Al-Qa`ida

SOCOM-2012-0000009

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Letter from UBL to `Atiyatullah Al-Libi 2

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Letter from Hafiz Sultan

SOCOM-2012-0000011

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Letter from `Atiyatullah al-Libi

SOCOM-2012-0000012

This letter dated 11 June 2009 was written by `Atiyya to the “honorable shaykh." It is possible that it was...

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A Draft of Zawahiri’s Message to the Egyptians

SOCOM-2012-0000013

This is a draft that formed the basis of a publicly available document, part four in a series of statements...

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Letter to `Atiyatullah al-Libi About Saudi Arabia Scholars

SOCOM-2012-0000014

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Letter to Nasir al-Wuhayshi

SOCOM-2012-0000016

This document is a letter addressed to “Abu Basir" (Nasir al-Wuhayshi, leader of al-Qa`ida in the Arabian Peninsula – AQAP)...

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Letter Regarding Al-Qa`ida Strategy

SOCOM-2012-0000017

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Letter of Advice to UBL

SOCOM-2012-0000018

This document is a letter addressed to Usama bin Ladin from “a loving brother whom you know and who knows...

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Letter from UBL to `Atiyatullah Al-Libi 4

SOCOM-2012-0000019

This document is a long letter authored by Usama bin Ladin after the death of Sheikh Sa'id (Mustafa Abu'l-Yazid) in...

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Various Official Documents for Salim Al-Misri

AFGP-2002-000232

This document contains various types of documents including: photo copy for Saudi Arabia resident cards for the Palestinian citizens (Salim...

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List of Names of Al-Qa`ida Members

AFGP-2002-600046

This document is a (9) page typed document containing (170) names of Al-Qa`ida members including an explanation on the status...

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List of Names of Al-Qa`ida Members 2

AFGP-2002-600177

A 22 page typed document containing names of Al-Qa`ida members in Afghanistan, Africa and other various Asian countries. 12 pages...

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Letter from `Abd Al-Wakil Al-Somali

AFGP-2002-800636

This document is a letter from `Abd al-Wakil al-Somali to Abu al-Faraj. In this letter the author asks Abu al-Faraj...

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