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On August 7, 2023, Al-Sahab, the media arm of Al-Qaeda Central released a book marking the 25th anniversary of the group's bombing of the U.S. Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on August 7, 1998.[1]
The release also marks three years since the death of book's author, Abu Mohammad Al-Masri, who was reportedly killed in August 2020 along with his daughter Miriam – the widow of Osama bin Laden's son, Hamza – in a mysterious attack in Tehran. The organization did not acknowledge his death until now.[2]
Al-Masri was Al-Qaeda's most experienced operational planner and the mastermind of the 1998 bombings.
On July 5, 2023, Al-Sahab promoted the book by publishing excerpts from it in issue no. 10 of its flagship "Ummah Wahidah" ("One Nation") magazine.[3]
Behind The Scenes Of The Attacks
Titled "The Road To Nairobi And Dar es Salaam,' the 143-page PDF book sheds light behind the scenes of planning the East Africa bombings.
In the first chapter, Al-Masri recalled his 1996 arrival in Jalalabad, Pakistan after being expelled from Sudan alongside other jihadis by the government of Omar Al-Bashir. He also described the logistics and planning carried out by the perpetrators of the attacks.
[1] Telegram, August 7, 2023.
[2] See MEMRI JTTM Report: Pro-Al-Qaeda Reporter Claims Group Is Covering Up The Killing Of 'Al-Zawahiri's Successor' And Widow Of Bin Laden's Son In Tehran, October 20, 2020.
[3] See MEMRI JTTM report, Al-Qaeda Magazine Celebrates Haj Pilgrimage Season, Recalls Al-Qaeda's Jihadi Successes In Past Decades, Lashes Out At ISIS, LGBTQ, Saudi Rulers, July 6, 2023.
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