US releases letters, book list recovered in bin Laden raid

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The United States government released Wednesday a list of now declassified documents recovered during the 2011 raid on al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan that provide insight into the terrorist leader's thinking in the years before he was killed.
The list of documents includes hundreds of letters to family members and associates as well as statements on anti-government demonstrations in Egypt, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and other current events, according to dpa.
The letters show bin Laden's continued focus in attacking US and western targets.
"We want to fight to force the enemy to stop its aggression against us, which can happen, God willing, by fighting the United States, the leader of infidels," he wrote.
He expresses disappointment in failed attacks, including in Russia, Britain and Denmark, writing, "bad luck and God wasn't on our side" in carrying out the plans.
The government also released a list of reading materials found in the compound, including the US government-commissioned report on the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, indictments against terrorist suspects, and a book by Noam Chomsky.
Dozens of English-language books focussed on conspiracy theories including claims the September 11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania were not orchestrated by al-Qaeda, but were instead an inside job.
The reading material also appeared to focus on gaining insight into US foreign policy and military strategy with works such as journalist Bob Woodward's book Obama's Wars, another on US involvement in Vietnam, a book on US military and CIA interventions since World War II and dozens of think tank publications.
The documents also included at least 19 publications about France and notes on the German economy.
Other books, including a user manual for the video game Delta Force Extreme 2, scanned pages from the Guinness Book of World Records for children and an Arabic calligraphy workbook, were likely used by other people living in the compound.
President Barack Obama called for the intelligence community to review documents for release as part of a bid to increase transparency within the intelligence community.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence said hundreds of more documents would also be reviewed for possible release.
"All documents whose publication will not hurt ongoing operations against al-Qaeda or their affiliates will be released," it said.
Bin Laden was killed in the May 2011 raid by US Navy Seals on the compound where he had been hiding in Abbottabad, Pakistan.          

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