Khalid Sheik Mohammed: ‘Cowboy’ George W. Bush Shocked Al-Qaeda with ‘Ferocity’

Khalid Sheik Mohammed (KSM), the 9/11 mastermind, conceded that “the ferocity and swiftness” of former U.S. President George W. Bush’s response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the American homeland that killed nearly 3,000 people took al-Qaeda by surprise.

That revelation is found in psychologist James E. Mitchell’s new memoir, Enhanced Interrogation: Inside the Minds and Motives of the Islamic Terrorists Trying To Destroy America, according to an opinion article by Marc Thiessen published by the Washington Post (WaPo).

The WaPo article is befittingly titled, “A horrifying look into the mind of 9/11’s mastermind, in his own words.”

Mitchell reportedly writes:

How was I supposed to know that cowboy George Bush would announce he wanted us ‘dead or alive’ and then invade Afghanistan to hunt us down? KSM explained that if the United States had treated 9/11 like a law enforcement matter, he would have had time to launch a second wave of attacks.”

However, KSM was unable to do so because al-Qaeda was stunned “by the ferocity and swiftness of George W. Bush’s response,” notes the psychologist.

According to Mitchell, KSM stressed that “true Muslims” are engaged in a “religious war” against the United States.

The 9/11 mastermind noted that “it does not matter that we do not want to fight them,” Mitchell writes, adding that KSM explained “America may not be in a religious war with him, but he and other True Muslims are in a religious war with America” and “he and his brothers will not stop until the entire world lives under Sharia law.”

KSM also predicted al-Qaeda would win against the United States.

“We will win because Americans don’t realize… we do not need to defeat you militarily; we only need to fight long enough for you to defeat yourself by quitting,” declared KSM, echoing the current situation in Afghanistan where President Barack Obama has declared an end to the U.S. combat mission as the Taliban continues to conquer territory.

KSM also predicted “jihadi-minded brothers would immigrate into the United States” and “wrap themselves in America’s rights and laws” until they were strong enough to rise up and terrorize us, writes Mitchell.

Some individuals admitted into the U.S. as refugees have been linked to recent terrorist attacks.

The CIA hired Mitchell and Bruce Jessen, another psychologist, to help engineer and run the enhanced interrogation program that critics, such as some former detainees, say employed torture.

Mitchell has reportedly spent thousands of hours with KSM and other al-Qaeda leaders.

In his memoir, Mitchell shares for the first time what he says KSM told him, reports Thiessen.

“I have looked into the eyes of the worst people on the planet,” writes Mitchell. “I have sat with them and felt their passion as they described what they see as their holy duty to destroy our way of life.”

Thiessen concedes, “Mitchell is an American patriot who has been unjustly persecuted for his role in crafting an interrogation program that helped stop terrorist attacks and saved countless lives.”