Who is Al Qaeda/ Osama bin laden?
Who is Al Qaeda?
Al Qaeda is a militant Sunni Islamist multi-national organization although it currently operates as a network of Islamic extremists and Salafist jihadists. This terrorist organization was founded in 1988 by Osama bin Laden and Abdullah Azzam during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and have expanded since they began into several other countries. In 2001 behind mastermind Osama bin Laden the group successfully carried out the attacks of 9/11 which sparked the current "War on Terror" that is happening today.
This terrorist organization did not randomly target the United States during these attacks however. The goal of the group is to establish a "true" Islamic governments in the middle east and over throw the current regimes that are in place. The primary enemy of Al Qaeda is the United States because the terrorist group attributes the problems in the middle east to the United States and "western" ideology.
The terrorist organization is still in existence today although since the War on Terror began it has weakend due to the death of Osama bin Laden the leader of the organization. Today, they are known more for "lone wolf" attacks than large scale attacks like 9/11 although the threat for an attack like this exists.
More Information:
Video of Osama Bin Laden before 9/11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChcNsumnGSo
National Geographic Inside Al Qaeda: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUUUS_wRKLo
How Al Qaeda Rose to Power: https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2013/08/2013887203250771.html
Congressional Research Service Document on Al Qaeda: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/terror/RL32759.pdf
Origins:
This organization grew from people who in the 1980's went to Afghanistan to fight against Soviet communism. During the time Osama bin Laden the leader of the coalition going against the Soviet Union received funding from America and Saudi Arabia, some believe that he even received training from the CIA (although not proven). In the 1996 Bin Laden took the Organization and moved it to Afghanistan where he created a very close relationship with the Taliban. After, bin Laden worked hard to recruit more jihadists into his organization planning several attacks during this time until the War on Terror began following the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.
Osama bin laden:
Formally named Osama bin Muhammad bin Awad bin Laden but known as Osama bin Laden was born on March 10th, 1957 in Saudi Arabia. He grew up wealthy due to his father Muhammad Awad bin Laden and immigrant from Yemen who created a billion dollar construction company. Because of his fortune Osama was able to attend King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah where he majored in engineering and graduated in 1979.
In 1979 Osama felt inspired and joined the war against the Soviet advances in Afghanistan. It is here he joined the jihadists and started to lead the war efforts. Using money from the construction company he engineered shelters which help lead to victory for the Jihadist forces.
In 1988 Bin Laden founded the group Al Qaeda translated as "the base" whose goal was to waging global jihad. In 1989 he returned home to Saudi Arabia to continue working for his fathers company the Saudi Binladin Group. On August 7th 1990, U.S. troops arrived in Kuwait after the Iraqi invasion. This outraged Bin Laden.
In 1991 Bin Laden and his followers were banished by the Saudi's and relocated to Sudan where he would begin to plot several attacks against the United States. One attack was carried out in 1993 when a bomb exploded at the world trade center. The person who planted the bomb was linked to bin Laden. This and several other attacks led to the revoking of his Saudi citizenship, his family disowning him and his banishment from Sudan.
Following his banishment from Sudan in 1996 he relocated to Afghanistan where he created ties with the Taliban. From this time till 2001 he planned and executed several attacks although his most well known would come on September 11th, 2001.
After the attacks of September 11th Osama bin Laden became one of the most wanted people for the next 10 years. He hid out in Pakistan and Afghanistan while the U.S. were not aware of his whereabouts for these years.
On May 2nd, 2011 United States Seal Team 6 invaded a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan where Navy Seals shoot and kill Bin Laden in a raid of the Compound. He was buried at sea days later after DNA tests confirmed his identity.
More information on Osama Bin Laden:
https://www.cnn.com/2013/08/30/world/osama-bin-laden-fast-facts/index.html
https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/osama-bin-laden
Interview with the mother of Osama bin Laden: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-45062241
Inside the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THLcqxgka0k
Navy Seal who shot Osama Bin Laden first hand account: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAllPnz2a9A