Remembering The 51 Day Standoff In Waco, Texas – 25 Years Later

The Siege

Photo Credits: ABC News

After the ATF had retreated from the compound, they managed to establish contact with Koresh and others inside of the compound. Because of the deaths of the federal agents, the FBI took command and appointed Jeff Jamar, head of the Bureaus San Antonio field office in charge of the siege as Site Commander. At the beginning of the siege, the Branch Davidians had telephone connection with the local news media in which Koresh gave phone interviews until they were abruptly cut off by the FBI and had then no connection to the outside world for the next 51 days. There were 25 FBI negotiators established whom the Branch Davidians had contact with via telephone.