Osama bin Laden
The al-Qaeda and Associated Movements (AQAM) Collection consists of a wide range of files, including financial records, theological and ideological documents, strategic plans, operational guidebooks, and histories of individual operations. There are also a small number of documents generated by the Taliban government in Afghanistan.
Collection Summary and Index
These documents are grouped thematically (i.e. Intelligence, Plans/Operations, etc).
AQAM Collection Index
Sample Records
Digital copies of captured records are provided below, along with full English translations and summaries. These records provide only a small sample of the much larger collection that is available to researchers at the CRRC.
AQ-SHPD-D-000-243 “Guerrilla Warfare and the Deterrence of the Enemy”
Original Record for AQ-SHPD-D-000-243
AQ-POAK-D-001-060 “Summary of Stages of Guerrilla Warfare”
Original Record for AQ-POAK-D-001-060
AQ-MISC-D-001-172 “Miscellaneous Topics Including Guerrilla War, Jihad, Qadhafi”
Original Record for AQ-MISC-D-001-172
AQ-MISC-D-001-264 “Abu Musab al‐Suri’s datebook from Afghanistan in 1999 with names and some addresses of al‐Qaeda members, Taliban officials and others; mentions al‐Qaeda guest house at Qargha” [partial]
Original Record for AQ-MISC-D-001-264
AQ-POAK-D-001-504, “A letter to the leadership of the Islamic State of Iraq,” 2007, Conflict Records Research Center, Washington, D.C.
Original Record for AQ-POAK-D-001-504
Released in conjunction with the CRRC-Johns Hopkins University “Ten Years Later: Insights on al-Qaeda’s Past & Future through Captured Records” conference held 13-14 September 2011 at the National Defense University.
AQ-INSED-000-118, “Intelligence training chapters, entitled ‘Dealing with the Enemy,’ ‘Creating Agents,’ and ‘Operations Security,’” undated (circa late-1990s), Conflict Records Research Center, Washington, D.C.
Original Record for AQ-INSE-D-000-118
AQ-INSE-D-000-122, “Memorandum regarding recruitment, organization and personal security, and creating and managing agents,” undated (prior to 2002), Conflict Records Research Center, Washington, D.C.
Original Record for AQ-INSE-D-000-122
AQ-MCOP-D-001-136, “Article regarding the 1994 Air France hijacking by Sunni Mujahideen, recommends ‘aerial martyrdom operations,’” 30 December 1994, Conflict Records Research Center, Washington, D.C.
Original Record for AQ-MCOP-D-001-136
This document is an after-action report on the Air France Flight 8969 hijacking in Algiers by Sunni mujahedeen on 24 December 1994. The report states that the major weakness of the operation, which ended when French Gendarmes stormed the plane on the ground in Marseilles and killed the four hijackers, was that the French were able to completely control the message by restricting media access while the plane was on the ground at the Marseilles airport. As a result, all of the drama and terror of the incident occurred inside the plane and away from the public eye. To avoid this problem, the report references the effectiveness of Japanese kamikaze attacks during World War II and argues that future al-Qaeda hijackings should be “aerial martyrdom operations.”
AQ-MISC-D-00-286, “‘Terrorist Groups’ Operations and Plans of the United States to Defeat Them,’ by Hidira al-Argentini, outlining al-Qaeda’s views on the U.S. definition of and reaction to terrorist organizations,” undated, Conflict Records Research Center, Washington, D.C.
Original Record for AQ-MISC-D-00-286
AQ-SHPD-D-000-085, “Document detailing the organization of cells in cities, including command, information, supply, and execution cells,” undated (prior to 2002), Conflict Records Research Center, Washington, D.C.
Original Record for AQ-SHPD-D-000-085
AQ-SHPD-D-000-103, “Letter from Abu Hafs to Abu Khalid regarding the rise of the Taliban and their successes in Afghanistan, and the strategic significance of Afghanistan for the United States, Pakistan, Russia, and India,” undated (prior to 2002), Conflict Records Research Center, Washington, D.C.
Original Record for AQ-SHPD-D-000-103
AQ-SHPD-D-001-157, “Jihad media document, regarding means of communication with the population and the importance of slogans and truthfulness,” (circa 1990), Conflict Records Research Center, Washington, D.C.
Original Record for AQ-SHPD-D-001-157
This AQAM document describes the jihadi media as a “means of communication with the population” that emphasizes “the importance of slogans and truthfulness.” The record cautions against the danger of relying on military action alone to oust “apostate” regimes without parallel political and media efforts. It further details the types of media available (pamphlets, video, radio, etc.), social groups to target (educated, working, military, etc.), ways to politically mobilize a population, and the media’s ability to bolster jihadi leadership and attract new recruits.
AQ-SHPD-D-001-285, “Document contains al-Qaeda review of the 9/11 attacks on the United States one year later,” undated (circa September 2002), Conflict Records Research Center, Washington, D.C.
Original Record for AQ-SHPD-D-001-285
In this after-action report marking the one-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks the author praises the operation for reviving the hopes of mujahedeen, attracting worldwide media attention, and inflicting pain on the United States. The report further details the historical background, preparation, lessons learned, and present and future effects of the attacks.
AQ-THEO-D-001-152, “Questions and answers regarding changing the status of vice in society, using Islamic legal texts and scholarly teachings,” undated (prior to 2003), Conflict Records Research Center, Washington, D.C.
Original Record for AQ-THEO-D-001-152
AQ-TRED-D-000-996, “Description of several courses in al-Qaeda training program for new recruits,” undated, Conflict Records Research Center, Washington, D.C.
Original Record for AQ-TRED-D-000-996
AQ-SHPD-D-00-995, “Abu Yassir urges Osama bin Laden to select only strategic operations even if there is a long time between attacks,” undated, Conflict Records Research Center, Washington, D.C.
Original Record for AQ-SHPD-D-000-995
AQ-POAK-D-000-257, “Al-Qaeda training document for first year members, from the series “To Be Prepared Against Them,” by the Curriculum Committee,” undated, Conflict Records Research Center, Washington, D.C.
Original Record for AQ-POAK-D-000-257
