In early 2006, I sat in the Pashtun tribal areas on the Af/Pak border. When not rinsing grit out of my teeth from the thick fog in the air, I awaited information from capricious “allies,” on whether their informant could identify a senior al Qaeda leader who I’ll call “The Moroccan.” At the time, he was al Qaeda’s regional operational commander and well worth removing from the board.
I lusted for certainty on the whereabouts of the Moroccan. He remained stubbornly elusive, while I chafed with impatience aggravated by living conditions halfway between a prison and an armed bunker. I watched tantalizing video from “eyes in the sky” of vehicles associated with the Moroccan heading towards the funeral of a militant. The funeral was attended by hundreds of men, all sporting traditional bushy beards and the long, baggy shalwar-kameezs Pashtuns favored, topped by either a turban or pakol cap. Making a positive ID in that crowd was like locating a particular stalk of wheat i
Officials identified the man as Corbin McMillen, 42, of St. George.
According to officials, McMillen told his mother he was going to hike the Angels Landing Trail at Zion on Feb. 18. Park rangers identified McMillen s unoccupied vehicle parked at the Grotto Trailhead around midnight on Feb. 18. When officials confirmed that the vehicle was still unoccupied the next morning, a formal search was conducted.
Later that afternoon on Feb. 19, park rangers discovered a male body at the base of Moonlight Buttress, the summit of which is located on the West Rim Trail near Angels Landing.
According to the press release, the preliminary investigation revealed that McMillen sustained injuries consistent with a high elevation fall. Officials said in the release that it was likely a fall from the summit of Moonlight Buttress.
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