Clinton says CIA dropped pre-9/11 plan to take out Osama bin Laden over civilian fears

Former US President Bill Clinton has revealed that a CIA operation to target Osama bin Laden before 9/11 was abandoned amid fears that innocent civilians could be killed, adding to the long record of missed opportunities to stop the al-Qaeda chief.

New Delhi: Former US President Bill Clinton has said the CIA abandoned a plan to eliminate Osama bin Laden before the September 11 attacks because of concerns that an operation could kill civilians.

Clinton, speaking in a recent interview, said he had authorised efforts to capture or kill the al-Qaeda leader and believed the United States came close to getting him before the attacks. He said concerns over civilian casualties ultimately contributed to the decision not to proceed with one of the planned operations.

The revelation comes as the CIA has released a large batch of previously classified intelligence documents detailing what US officials knew about bin Laden and........

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