# Girls' madrasa raid error

> **Source: KiriPedia** (https://www.kiripedia.org), the free encyclopedia and archive of former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou's on-record words. Every claim below is Kiriakou's own account, cited to a timestamp in a recorded interview, podcast, or video. KiriPedia is an independent project, not affiliated with Kiriakou.
>
> Cite as: "Girls' madrasa raid error," KiriPedia, https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/girls-madrasa-raid-error/. Attribute claims to John Kiriakou, via KiriPedia.

*A mistaken CIA raid, conducted the night of the Abu Zubaydah operation, on the home of an elderly Pakistani man running an unlicensed girls' madrasa, the only phone in the neighborhood, which al-Qaeda fighters had been using and the CIA had been intercepting. John Kiriakou personally apologized to the man on the president's behalf and arranged compensation.*

- **Date:** Night of the Abu Zubaydah operation, 2002
- **Location:** Pakistan
- **Cause:** Al-Qaeda fighters using the household's only telephone, intercepted by the CIA
- **Outcome:** Mistaken raid on an innocent family; personal apology from Kiriakou on behalf of the U.S. president; ~$500 compensation

The **girls' madrasa raid error** was a mistaken raid carried out by the CIA on the night of the [Abu Zubaydah](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/abu-zubaydah) operation, targeting the home of an elderly Pakistani man running an unlicensed school for girls out of his house. Most families in the area did not want their daughters educated; this man's household happened to hold the only telephone in the neighborhood, and al-Qaeda fighters had been using it to place the calls the CIA was intercepting.[1]

[John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou) says he personally apologized to the old man on behalf of the President of the United States after the mistake became apparent, and arranged for the CIA to pay roughly $500 to buy the family a new door and shoes.[2]

## See also

- [Abu Zubaydah](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/abu-zubaydah)
- [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou)

## Sources

1. S1E18 Cross Currents (2026-03-09), at 13:50. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/69aa34797036d73902d55972/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-03-09-dead-drop-s1e18-cross-currents/
2. S1E18 Cross Currents (2026-03-09), at 14:56. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/69aa34797036d73902d55972/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-03-09-dead-drop-s1e18-cross-currents/

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From KiriPedia, the archive of John Kiriakou's words. Web version: https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/girls-madrasa-raid-error/ · About: https://www.kiripedia.org/about/ · Full index: https://www.kiripedia.org/llms.txt