On August 7 , 1998 , Bin Laden struck again , this time with simultaneous bombings on the U.S. embassies in Nairobi , Kenya , and Dar es Salaam , Tanzania . ( see above ) The CIA , having confirmed bin Laden was behind the attack , informed Clinton that terrorist leaders were planning to meet at a camp near Khowst , to plan future attacks . According to Tenet , " several hundred , " including bin Laden , would attend . On August 20 , Clinton ordered cruise missile strikes on Al-Qaeda terrorist training camps in Afghanistan and a pharmaceutical factory in Khartoum , Sudan , where bin Laden was suspected of manufacturing biological weapons . While the military hit their targets , bin Laden was not killed . The CIA estimated that they had missed bin Laden by " a few hours . " At the time of the attacks , Clinton was embroiled in the Lewinsky scandal ( see below ) . This led many Republicans in Congress to accuse the president of " wagging the dog " — launching a military attack simply to distract the public from his personal problems . Clinton and his principals , however , insist that the decision was made solely on the basis of national security
bombings
1998 United States embassy bombings
Foreign policy of the Bill Clinton administration