In the corridors of the CIA’s headquarters in Langley, Virginia, the recently renovated agency museum, although still closed to the public, revealed some recently declassified memorabilia from the most prominent operations carried out by the CIA since its founding 75 years ago. .
Perhaps the most important of these memorabilia, along with the rifle of former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, which was found with him on the night of his targeting, and the jacket of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein during his arrest, is a miniature model just over 30.5 centimeters long for a compound in the Afghan capital, Kabul, where a drone launched an attack that led to me The killing of former ISIS leader Ayman al-Zawahiri Just two months ago.
from 3 floors
He placed this anthropomorphic that embodied Three storey building with balconywalls covered with barbed wire, along with a number of pistols and spy cameras.
While the director of the museum, Robert Baer, explained that he had previously used the flags of US President Joe Biden with the details of this targeting process, which took place on July 31 (2022), which dealt a severe blow to the organization.
He also indicated that it was used during discussions in the White House during the planning of the assassination operation, which was carried out by using a drone that fired two Hellfire missiles, without the house collapsing or killing anyone in the house except for the al-Qaeda leader.
The compound where bin Laden was targeted
Janelle Nezes, deputy director of the museum, said it was “unusual to declassify something so quickly.” “We use our memorabilia to tell our stories, to be honest and transparent regarding the work of the CIA, even though it’s sometimes difficult,” she said.
Bin Laden’s rifle and Saddam’s jacket
In addition, the exhibits included an AKM assault rifle that bin Laden was carrying on the night he was killed by US marines in a raid on the Abbottabad compound in Pakistan in 2011 and a leather jacket found with Saddam Hussein when he was captured in 2003.
Some of these memorabilia are available for viewing online and are part of a broader effort to expand outreach and recruitment by the secretive agency, known in some circles for its scandals as much as its intelligence successes.
CIA officials often say that the agency’s successes are “secret”, but its failures are sometimes public.
