‘Govt steps didn’t even disturb Qaeda plan’

The panel issued a broad indictment of US intelligence and air defences in the attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon that left nearly 3,000 people dead and sent the superpower reeling.

‘‘What we can say with confidence is none of the measures adopted by the US government from 1998 to 2001 disturbed or even delayed the progress of the Al Qaeda plot,’’ an executive summary said.

‘‘Across the government, there were failures of imagination, policy, capabilities and management,’’ it added.

The commission — which interviewed thousands of witnesses and examined mountains of documents — said, ‘‘We do not believe leaders understood the gravity of the threat’’ before September 11, 2001, but did not single out either the Bush or Clinton administrations.

‘‘The terrorist danger from (Osama) bin Laden and Al Qaeda was not a major topic for policy debate among the public, the media or in the Congress. Indeed it barely came up during the 2000 presidential campaign,’’ it said.

The commission said that while the 19 Al Qaeda terrorists who used hijacked airliners to demolish the World Trade Centre and punch a hole in the Pentagon were determined and capable, the group was also fragile and vulnerable.

‘‘The enemy made mistakes. The US government was notable to capitalise on them,’’ it added.

‘‘No President can promise that a catastrophic attack like that of 9/11 can happen again. But the American people are entitled to expect that officials will have realistic objectives, clear guidance and effective organisation,’’ it said.

The Commission listed several recommendations:

• Creation of a national counter-terrorism centre ‘‘unifying strategic intelligence and operational planning against Islamist terrorists across the foreign-domestic divide’’.

• Establishment of a new national intelligence director to unify the intelligence community.

• Creating a ‘‘network-based information sharing system that transcends traditional governmental boundaries’’.

• Strengthening Congressional oversight.

• Strengthening the FBI and Homeland defenders.

US President George W. Bush, who received a copy of the report, had insisted on Wednesday that there was no way he could have foiled the strikes. ‘‘Had we had any inkling whatsoever that terrorists were about to attack our country, we would have moved heaven and earth to protect America,’’ he said. —(PTI)