The POTUS Timeline
Crisis Response

Suicide bombing of USS Cole in Aden, Yemen

On October 12, 2000, the guided-missile destroyer USS Cole was struck by a small boat laden with explosives while refueling in Aden, Yemen, killing 17 U.S. sailors and wounding dozens; the Clinton administration dispatched FBI investigators and began pursuing those responsible.

Attributed to al-Qaeda, the attack was one of the deadliest against the U.S. Navy before 9/11 and highlighted the growing terrorist threat, prompting changes in U.S. force protection and shaping late-term counterterrorism priorities.

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