Al Qaeda

AL QAEDA

Osama bin Laden

Multi-millionaire Saudi Arabian by birth Funded and helped train

Mujahedeen Muslims that fought Soviets in

Soviet-Afghan War of 1980s

Soviet Afghan War 1979 – 1989 One million Afghani deaths US provided billions of dollars of

aid to Mujahedeen Weapons and other supplies

Al Qaeda“The Base”Founded in Mujahedeen training camps in Afghanistan in 1988

Sunni Islamic Extremists Recruited from major Muslim countriesAfghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria

Goals and Objectives Establishing rule of God on Earth Attaining martyrdom in cause of

God Purification of the ranks of Islam

Wahhabism Rid Islamic societies of cultural

practices Literal interpretation of the Koran

Tactics Assassinations, bombings, hijacking, kidnapping, suicide attacks

Targets Very public and prominent sites

Public buildings, embassies and military personnel

US and its allies

Persian Gulf War1990Saddam Hussein and Iraq invades Kuwait

Saudi Arabia allows UN and US forces in Attack Iraq through Saudi borders

Upset Bin Laden Offers help of Mujahedeen to

attack Hussein Alternative to using US and UN Saudi Arabia refuses

Insulted OBL Increases hatred of Western

culture

Islamic Attacks pre-9/11 Feb. 26, 1993 --Bomb explodes in

garage under World Trade Center, killing six and injuring more than 1,000. Group of Islamic extremists later convicted.

Nov. 13, 1995 --Seven people, including five Americans, killed when two bombs explode at U.S.-Saudi military facility in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Osama bin Laden blamed for attack.

Sept. 27, 1996 --Taliban, suspected of giving refuge to bin Laden, completes takeover of Kabul, Afghanistan.

The Taliban Afghanistan's Islamic

fundamentalist rulers 1996 – 2001 Harbored bin Laden and his

followers bin Laden gave funds to train

their army, in return allowed Al-Qaeda training camps in the country

June 25, 1996 --Bin Laden followers detonate bomb at U.S. military base near Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, killing 19 American soldiers and wounding hundreds of Americans and Saudi Arabians.

Aug. 7, 1998 --U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, bombed, killing more than 250 people, including 12 Americans, and injuring 5,000. In retaliation, United States launches airstrikes against suspected terrorist camps in Sudan and Afghanistan.

Aug. 28, 1998 --FBI accuses bin Laden of having declared "jihad," or holy war, against United States. Complaint also alleges bin Laden founded Al Qaeda that year to promote Islamic fundamentalism and force non-Muslims out of Muslim countries.

November 4, 1998 --Bin Laden charged with ordering embassy bombings.

Oct. 12, 2000 --Suicide bombers in Yemen attack U.S. Navy destroyer USS Cole, killing 17 sailors. Officials suspect bin Laden involvement.

September 11, 2001 : Hijackers take over planes flying two into the World Trade Center, One into Pentagon, and fail in their attempt on the White House

Why Target the US? Frustrations over America's pro-

Israeli Middle east policies Cause as many deaths as

possible Slap America in the face for the

rest of the world to see