The 1998 U.S. Embassy Bombings

On August 7, 1998, a truck bomb was detonated outside the U.S. embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. At almost the same time, another truck bomb was set off outside the U.S. embassy in the capital of Tanzania. This coordinated terrorist attack killed 224 and wounded 4,500.

After his suspected role in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center and his declaration that Muslims should kill all Americans in 1998, the United States promptly accused Osama bin Laden as the mastermind behind this devasting attack on foreign soil. As a response, President Clinton ordered 70 cruise missiles to be launched at suspected terrorist training camps in Afghanistan and Sudan.

With the presence of U.S. troops in Saudia Arabia during the Persian Gulf War starting his hatred for the United States, bin Laden coordinated the bombings to take place on the eighth anniversary of their deployment. The embassy in Nairobi was located in the more busy downtown area, so the truck loaded with 2,000 pounds of TNT did substantial damage in comparison to the attack in Dar es Salaam. Not only was the embassy destroyed but the nearby Ufundi Coop House and the 17-story Cooperative Bank were also demolished.

In 1997, American intelligence already knew that there were active bin Laden operatives in East Africa, but their efforts to break up the terrorist cells were not enough before the attack. They had even had knowledge of a possible plot to bomb the embassy in Nairobi and no precautions were taken. The State Department was also at fault because the U.S. ambassador to Kenya had previously asked the Nairobi embassy to not be in such an exposed location. With these facts later revealed, there were many concerns about our security at home and abroad.

On November 1998, the U.S. charged bin Laden and 21 others for the bombings and conspiring to commit other acts of terrorism. In February 2001, four of these suspects were on trial and all of them were convicted. However, this did not stop bin Laden's terrorism toward the United States as the September 11 attacks sadly proved otherwise.





Sources:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/u-s-embassies-in-east-africa-bombed

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/bombings/summary.html

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/20/africa-embassy-bombings-osama-bin-laden-kenya-tanzania-al-qaida