KGB Oversight of the 9/11 Operation
"The Sept. 11 events in the United States were a test for us," said Azat Zaripov, head of the security service at Russia’s flagship airline, Aeroflot
On September 4, 2001, the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, met with Putin and paid tribute to the Soviet tomb of the unknown soldier. In their meeting, Putin and Sharon discussed counter-terrorism in central Asia. https://web.archive.org/web/20010920174438/http://www.debka.com:80/
Five days later Putin called Bush about the assassination of Ahmad Shah Massoud warning that a big terrorist attack was about to happen. Massoud was a Northern Alliance leader who successfully fought off the Soviets and Taliban. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2021/09/08/the-impact-of-september-11-on-us-russian-relations/
Immediately Russia tried to control the war on terror narrative
"Federal Security Service said it had found a computer compact disc during a raid in Chechnya containing instructions on flying Boeing aircraft" https://web.archive.org/web/20011110212421/http://www.russiajournal.ru/news/rj_news.shtml?nd=1131
U.S.-Russian cooperation in the initial stages of the Afghan war appeared to be transformative, and Moscow likened the anti-terror cooperation to the anti-Hitler coalition in World War II
During fall 2001, Russia shared intelligence with the U.S., including data that helped American forces find their way around Kabul and logistical information about Afghanistan’s topography and caves
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2021/09/08/the-impact-of-september-11-on-us-russian-relations/
He (Putin) was the first foreign leader to call President George W. Bush after Al-Qaeda hijackers brought down the World Trade Center, damaged the Pentagon, killed nearly 3,000 people, and stunned the country with the enormity of a seemingly incomprehensible blow. https://www.rferl.org/a/week-in-russia-9-11-attacks/31453542.html
Russian intelligence officers lead US elite forces crossing Tajikistan into Afghanistan
https://web.archive.org/web/20010923154509/http://www.debka.com:80/
