In an eye-opening interview, former CIA officer turned whistleblower John Kiriakou pulled back the curtain on the agency’s most elite fighting units, revealing how the United States’ intelligence agencies transformed overnight into a lethal force dedicated to hunting down radical Islamic terrorists after the September 11th terror attacks.
Speaking with host Dalton Fischer, Kiriakou delivered a no-nonsense account of CIA’s most classified operators, the legendary Ground Branch warriors, Special Activities Division (SAD), and Counterterrorism Center (CTC), elite units filled with the U.S.’s finest Navy SEALs, Army Rangers, and Delta Force operators.
“These aren’t your typical government bureaucrats,” Kiriakou explained. “These are battle-tested heroes from our most elite military units, SEALs, Rangers, Delta Force, recruited because they have the skills and courage to do what others can’t.”
After 9/11, these elite soldiers were quickly brought into the CIA fold, many on loan from the military before becoming permanent assets in divisions like Global Services, Special Activities Division, and the hard-hitting Counterterrorism Center. Their mission? Simple and vital: eliminate threats to American lives and freedom (and whatever the fuck else the CIA has them doing).
“What they do is so classified that even though everybody in the office knows what they’re up to, nobody talks about it,” Kiriakou revealed, describing the iron-clad secrecy surrounding these operations. Their job, the former CIA officer explained without hesitation, is “to neutralize anybody who poses a threat to the United States, its citizens, or its installations.”
While praising the critical importance of eliminating high-value terrorist targets like Osama bin Laden to protect American families, Kiriakou didn’t shy away from addressing the tough questions about oversight and accountability.
“Mistakes happen in the fog of war,” Kiriakou acknowledged, referencing troubling cases where intelligence errors led to innocent people being detained. “We’re not lawless vigilantes. As American government officials, we’re bound by the Constitution. That’s what separates us from our enemies and makes America the beacon of freedom in the world.”
Kiriakou pinpointed the exact moment America’s intelligence community transformed into a fighting force.
“The day after 9/11,” Kiriakou told Fischer, vividly recalling the pivotal moment when Cofer Black, then head of the Counterterrorism Center, stood before his team and declared the new reality.
“Today, we’re at war, and we’re all going to have to fight. Not all of us are going to come home,” Black announced to a silent room, marking the beginning of the U.S.’s years-long campaign against al-Qaeda.
By Christmas 2001, Kiriakou explained that al-Qaeda’s core operations in Afghanistan was virtually destroyed, with only 25 active members remaining according to Senate intelligence.
Before 9/11, the Special Activities Division operated in the shadows within the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, conducting missions that were rarely discussed even within the agency itself. After the attacks, the Counterterrorism Center rapidly established its own special activities group, primarily composed of loaned military personnel focused on hunting down terrorists plotting against America.
The elite CIA units regularly undertake extraordinarily dangerous missions, including parachuting into hostile territory, conducting high-risk extractions in terrorist strongholds like Benghazi, Khartoum, and Karachi.
“It’s extremely dangerous work,” Kiriakou said, noting that many fallen heroes are honored with anonymous stars on the CIA’s Wall of Honor, their ultimate sacrifice known only to God and country.
The post-9/11 atmosphere at the Counterterrorism Center reflected America’s new war footing, with office areas nicknamed “Bin Laden Boulevard” and “Hezbollah Highway.”
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