![]() Usama bin Laden, a presumably pious figure who rejected branded items and anything deemed “Western,” can be seen wearing an F-91W in a number of recorded public videos (he also wore a Timex). Casual UBL #wristshot for the #alqaeda #watchfam It is mass-produced, cheap, durable and available at the closest mall, souk or airport duty-free shop. Like the Kalashnikov, Toyota Hilux, and Nokia 105 cell phones, the watch is prolific in modern conflicts. The Casio F-91W has become known as the “Terrorist Watch,” and here’s why. The watch offered a simple tool to tell time because even for terrorists, time matters. The most sophisticated ones developed tradecraft that could rival a Western intelligence service, and even the less experienced terrorists understood that carrying a mobile phone that constantly pings the closest cellphone towner while operational could lead to their demise. After over two decades of war, the ISIS militants were savvy. It is entirely possible that this individual was using the Casios to construct IEDs, but equally likely that he was using the timepieces for the same purpose as CIA officers rely on mechanical watches: to tell time. Despite our best attempts to build rapport with the detainee, we left relatively empty-handed, but nonetheless wrote up a summary of the conversation and noted the ISIS official’s “pocket litter” for future use. I know we asked him about the watches, and he denied any nefarious activity. as the hero, but the reality of the intelligence business is much more mundane. I wish I could say that it was the start of a Hollywood-style thriller that included car chases, shootouts and martinis with a dramatic ending with W.O.E. Truth is, I don’t remember the contents of the session. I activated the digital chronograph on my Breitling Aerospace, knowing that the liaison service only gave us 90 minutes to conduct the observed debrief.Ĭasio F-91W used as a timer for explosives detonation (Photo Credit: Unknown) Moments later, we were sitting in the dimly lit debriefing room across from the ISIS official. I made a mental note to dig deeper into this during the conversation. ![]() “Sally,” the CIA Targeter and Subject Matter Expert who accompanied me to the prison, remarked that it was a common watch used by bomb makers as a detonation timer and while not conclusive, it was something we should follow up on during the debrief. Amongst the pile were two (small) black plastic Casio F-91W digital watches. Before entering the debriefing room, the liaison intelligence service provided us access to the ISIS member’s “pocket litter”- the items he had on his person when he was detained. On one of my first days “in country,” we traveled to a nearby makeshift prison to debrief a known ISIS member who was detained during a host-nation counterterrorism operation days before. However, the watch that is coveted by hipsters and former presidents alike has a more sinister utility: it has been used to deadly effect as a timer for explosive charges and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and worn regularly by members of al-Qaeda, ISIS and other transnational militant groups.Ī few years ago, I went on a temporary duty (TDY) assignment to an expeditionary warzone in support of counterterrorism operations (REDACTED). The simple, cheap and effective plastic watch is likely one of the most ubiquitous timepieces on the planet, with an estimated three million produced each year since sometime in the early 1990s. The Casio F-91W’s reputation looms large in both horology and national security circles, and for good reason. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |