The CIA geared up to take the lead in the attack on al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan . The NALT team , led by Gary Schroen , entered the country once more on September 26 , 2001 . A new branch was added to the CTC — CTC Special Operations , or CTC/SO . Hank Crumpton , the former head of CTC operations , was recalled to head it . Black told him , " Your mission is to find al-Qa ' ida , engage it , and destroy it . " Testifying at the Congressional Joint Inquiry into the September 11 attacks in 2002 , Black eschewed the offer of anonymity because " I want to look the American people in the eye . " During the " war on terror " Black is said to have played a " leading role in many of the CIA 's more controversial programs , including the rendition and interrogation of al-Qaeda suspects and the detention of some of them in secret prisons outside the USA . " But there has never been any solid factual support for these contentions . Black had resigned from government service in 2004 and entered the private sector before the controversial renditions occurred . Black 's legacy is that he created and led the team that successfully counter-attacked Al-Qaeda and the Taliban immediately after 9/11 , while concurrently leading the successful implementation of the presidentially approved " Worldwide Attack Matrix , " in which the CIA engaged all known Al Qaeda operatives and supporters on a global basis . This full court press may have stopped Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda from implementing any follow-up attacks on the United States if any such attacks had been planned . In addition , Black can be credited with having provided clear early warnings to the president 's top advisors on July 10 , 2001 — two months before 9/11 — that a major terrorist attack was imminent , and with having urged that immediate preventive action be taken
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Cofer Black