A former CIA counterterrorism officer has made a stunning revelation about how al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden evaded U.S. capture in 2001, by disguising himself as a woman to flee Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks.

Former CIA officer John Kiriakou reveals new details

John Kiriakou, who spent 15 years in the CIA and led counterterrorism operations in Pakistan, claimed in an interview with India’s news agency ANI that bin Laden slipped away from U.S. forces at Tora Bora, disguised in a burqa and hidden in the back of a pickup truck.

“What ended up happening was bin Laden dressed as a woman, and he escaped under the cover of darkness in the back of a pickup truck into Pakistan,” Kiriakou said.

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The former officer said U.S. forces were convinced they had cornered bin Laden and the top al-Qaeda leadership in the Tora Bora mountains of eastern Afghanistan in late 2001. However, a combination of deception and infiltration within the U.S. military allowed the world’s most wanted terrorist to escape.

A translator’s betrayal led to bin Laden’s escape

According to Kiriakou, the CIA and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) had relied on a translator who later turned out to be an al-Qaeda operative.

“We did not know that the translator for the commander of Central Command was actually an al-Qaeda operative who had infiltrated the U.S. military,” Kiriakou said.

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When bin Laden was cornered, the translator reportedly convinced General Tommy Franks, then head of CENTCOM, to allow al-Qaeda fighters to “evacuate women and children” before surrendering.

By dawn, the U.S. discovered they had been deceived, the mountain caves were empty, and bin Laden had vanished into Pakistan.

From Tora Bora to Abbottabad: The decade-long manhunt

The escape from Tora Bora marked the beginning of a decade-long pursuit that would end in May 2011, when U.S. Navy SEALs located and killed bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

For years, U.S. intelligence agencies believed bin Laden was being sheltered within Pakistan’s tribal regions. His eventual discovery in a military garrison town only reinforced suspicions of Pakistani complicity, a tension that Kiriakou’s remarks again bring to light.

“We purchased Musharraf”: How U.S. bought cooperation from Pakistan

Kiriakou also made pointed remarks about U.S.-Pakistan relations under then-President Pervez Musharraf, saying Washington effectively “bought” the Pakistani leader’s cooperation during the early years of the War on Terror.

“Our relations with the Pakistani government were very, very good. It was General Pervez Musharraf at the time. Let’s be honest here, the United States loves working with dictators,” Kiriakou said.
“We essentially just purchased Musharraf. We gave millions and millions of dollars in aid, whether military or economic. He let us do whatever we wanted.”

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The U.S. provided Pakistan with billions in military and development aid after 9/11, making it a key ally in the counterterrorism campaign despite lingering mistrust between intelligence agencies on both sides.

Why this revelation matters now

Kiriakou’s account adds a new layer to one of modern history’s most pivotal manhunts. If accurate, it underscores the role of intelligence missteps and internal vulnerabilities during a critical phase of the U.S. campaign in Afghanistan.

It also reopens questions about Pakistan’s role in harboring militants and the extent of its cooperation with the CIA in the early 2000s. This issue continues to shape U.S. foreign policy in South Asia.

Experts caution that while Kiriakou’s experience lends weight to his claims, independent verification of such details remains limited. Analysts recommend cross-referencing these assertions with declassified CIA reports, U.S. Senate intelligence hearings, and Pentagon archives for factual corroboration.

TL;DR

Ex-CIA officer John Kiriakou has revealed that Osama bin Laden fled Afghanistan in 2001 disguised as a woman, deceiving U.S. forces at Tora Bora after an al-Qaeda mole within the U.S. military misled commanders. Kiriakou also alleged the U.S. “purchased” Pakistan’s then-president Pervez Musharraf to gain cooperation during the War on Terror.