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| {{Short description|Salafi jihadist organization}} | | {{DISPLAYTITLE:al-Qaeda}} |
| {{Redirect|Al-Qaidah|the Iraqi newspaper|Al-Qaidah (newspaper)}} | | {{redirect|Al-Qaidah|the Iraqi newspaper|Al-Qaidah (newspaper)}} |
| {{Pp-semi-indef}}
| |
| {{Pp-move-indef}}
| |
| {{Pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
| |
| {{Use American English|date=May 2015}} | | {{Use American English|date=May 2015}} |
| {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2018}}{{Infobox war faction | | {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}} |
| |name = Al-Qaeda | | {{Infobox war faction |
| | |name=Al-Qaeda |
| |native_name = القاعدة | | |native_name = القاعدة |
| |native_name_lang = ar | | |native_name_lang = ar |
| |war = {{Plain list| | | |war= the [[War on Terror|Global War on Terrorism]], [[Afghanistan conflict (1978–present)|Afghanistan conflict]], [[Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]], [[Somali Civil War]], [[Insurgency in the Maghreb (2002–present)|Insurgency in the Maghreb]], [[Iraq War]], [[Iraqi insurgency (2011–present)|Iraqi insurgency]], [[al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen]], [[Syrian Civil War]], [[Arab Spring]], and [[List of wars and battles involving al-Qaeda|other conflicts]] |
| * the [[War on Terror]]
| | |image=Flag of al-Qaeda.svg |
| * [[Afghanistan conflict (1978–present)|Afghanistan conflict]]
| | |caption=Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions |
| * [[War in North-West Pakistan]]
| | |active=1988–present |
| * [[Somali Civil War]]
| | |ideology= [[Salafist jihadism]]<ref name="Moghadam">{{cite book| last = Moghadam| first = Assaf| title = The Globalization of Martyrdom: Al Qaeda, Salafi Jihad, and the Diffusion of Suicide Attacks| url = https://archive.org/details/globalizationofm0000mogh| year = 2008| publisher = Johns Hopkins University| isbn = 978-0-8018-9055-0| page = [https://archive.org/details/globalizationofm0000mogh/page/48 48] }}</ref><ref name="SalafistJidadism">{{cite web|title=Special Reports – The Salafist Movement: Al Qaeda's New Front|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/front/special/sala.html|last=Livesey|first=Bruce|work=PBS Frontline|publisher=WGBH educational foundation|date=January 25, 2005|accessdate=October 18, 2011 }}<br/>{{cite book|last1=Geltzer|first1=Joshua A.|title=US Counter-Terrorism Strategy and al-Qaeda: Signalling and the Terrorist World-View|date=2011|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-66452-3|page=83|edition=Reprint}}</ref><br/>[[Wahhabism]]<br/>[[Qutbism]]<ref>Wright, ''Looming Tower'', 2006, p. 79</ref><br/>[[Pan-Islamism]]<ref name="spiegel1">{{cite web|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,369448,00.html |title=The Future of Terrorism: What al-Qaida Really Wants |work=Der Spiegel |date=September 11, 2001 |accessdate=October 18, 2011 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307084609/http://www.spiegel.de/international/0%2C1518%2C369448%2C00.html |archivedate=March 7, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="PanIslamism">{{cite news|url=http://my.telegraph.co.uk/riteman/riteway/16309030/al-qaeda-seeks-global-dominance/|title=Al-Qaeda seeks global dominance|location=London|work=The Daily Telegraph|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112142751/http://my.telegraph.co.uk/riteman/riteway/16309030/al-qaeda-seeks-global-dominance/|archivedate=January 12, 2012}}<br/>{{cite web|url=http://www.thepolitic.com/archives/2005/07/27/jihadists-want-global-caliphate/|title=Jihadists Want Global Caliphate|publisher=ThePolitic.com|date=July 27, 2005|accessdate=October 18, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930020925/http://www.thepolitic.com/archives/2005/07/27/jihadists-want-global-caliphate/|archive-date=September 30, 2011|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}<br/>{{cite web|author=Pike, John|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/al-qaida.htm|title=Al-Qaida|publisher=Globalsecurity.org|accessdate=October 18, 2011}}<br/>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/mar/21/alqaida.terrorism|location=London|work=The Guardian|first=Jason|last=Burke|title=What exactly does al-Qaeda want?|date=March 21, 2004}}</ref><br/>[[Anti-Communism]]<ref name="AntiSoviet">{{cite court|litigants=United States v. Usama bin Laden et al.|volume=S (7) 98|reporter=Cr.|opinion=1023|pinpoint=Testimony of Jamal Ahmed Mohamed al-Fadl|court=[[United States District Court for the Southern District of New York|SDNY]]|date=February 6, 2001|url=http://cryptome.org/usa-v-ubl-02.htm}}<br/>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1670089.stm|title=Al-Qaeda's origins and links|publisher=BBC News|date=July 20, 2004|accessdate=June 3, 2014}}<br/>{{cite book|last=Cooley |first=John K. |authorlink=John K. Cooley |title=Unholy Wars: Afghanistan, America and International Terrorism |url=https://archive.org/details/unholywarsafghan0000cool_w4p3 |date=Spring 2003 }}</ref><br>[[Anti-Zionism]]<ref name="Time1999">{{cite magazine|url=http://content.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,17676,00.html|title=Conversation With Terror|magazine=Time|date=January 1999|accessdate=March 22, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Letter2002">{{cite web| url = http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/nov/24/theobserver | title = October 6, 2002. Appeared in Al-Qala'a website and then ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian'' on November 24, 2002. | website = [[TheGuardian.com]] | date = November 24, 2002 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20130826184301/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/nov/24/theobserver |archivedate = 2013-08-26 }}</ref><br>[[Antisemitism]]<ref name=Time1999 /><ref name=Letter2002 /><ref name="May1998">{{cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/who/interview.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19990508145341/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/who/interview.html|title=frontline: the terrorist and the superpower: who is bin laden?: interview with osama bin laden (in may 1998)|archivedate=May 8, 1999|publisher=pbs.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.adl.org/blog/new-isis-and-al-qaeda-propaganda-prioritize-the-us-and-jews-as-targets|title=New ISIS and Al-Qaeda propaganda prioritize the US and Jews as targets|website=Anti-Defamation League}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.adl.org/blog/isis-augments-its-threats-against-israel|title=ISIS Augments Its Threats Against Israel|website=Anti-Defamation League|access-date=2019-06-06|archive-date=2017-08-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823115829/https://www.adl.org/blog/isis-augments-its-threats-against-israel|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
| * [[Insurgency in the Maghreb (2002–present)|Insurgency in the Maghreb]]
| | |clans=Al-Qaeda Central <small>(1988–present)</small><br/> |
| * [[Iraq War]]
| | [[Al-Qaeda in Iraq]] <small>(2004–2013, became [[Mujahideen Shura Council (Iraq)|Mujahideen Shura Council]] in January 2006)</small><br/> |
| * [[Iraqi insurgency (2011–present)|Iraqi insurgency]]
| | [[Mujahideen Shura Council (Iraq)|Mujahideen Shura Council]] <small>(January 2006–October 2006, became [[Islamic State of Iraq]] in October 2006)</small><br/> |
| * [[al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen]]
| | [[Islamic State of Iraq]] <small>(2006–2013)</small><br/> |
| * [[Syrian Civil War]]
| | [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]] <small>(2013–2014)</small><br/> |
| * [[Arab Spring]]
| | [[Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb]] <small>(2007–present)</small><br/> |
| * [[List of wars and battles involving al-Qaeda|other conflicts]]
| | [[Tawhid al-Jihad (Gaza Strip)|Al-Qaeda in Palestine]] <small>(2008–present)</small><br/> |
| }}
| | [[Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula]] <small>(2009–present)</small><br/> |
| |image = Flag of al-Qaeda.svg | | [[Al-Shabaab (militant group)|Al-Qaeda in Somalia]] <small>(2010–present)</small><br/> |
| |caption = Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions | | [[Al-Nusra Front|Al-Qaeda in the Levant]] <small>(2012–2017, became [[Tahrir al-Sham]] in January 2017)</small><br/> |
| |active = 1988–present | | [[Tahrir al-Sham]] <small>(alleged, 2017–present)</small><br/> |
| |ideology = {{Plain list| | | [[Al-Mourabitoun (militant group)|Al-Mourabitoun]] <small>(2013–2015, joined [[AQIM]] in December 2015)</small><br/> |
| * [[Pan-Islamism]]<ref name=Atwan/>
| | [[Jund al-Aqsa]] <small>(2014–2017)</small><br/> |
| * [[Islamic extremism|Islamic extremist]]<ref name="Stephen E. Atkins">{{cite book|last1=E. Atkins|first1=Stephen|title=Encyclopedia of Modern Worldwide Extremists and Extremist Groups|date=2004|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=978-0313324857|page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofmo0000atki/page/173 173]|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofmo0000atki|url-access=registration}}</ref><ref name=dalacoura40/>
| | [[Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent]] <small>(2014–present)</small><br/> |
| * [[Salafi movement|Salafist Islamism]]<ref name="SalafistJidadism">{{cite web|title=Special Reports – The Salafist Movement: Al Qaeda's New Front|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/front/special/sala.html|last1=Livesey|first1=Bruce|author-link=Bruce Livesey (journalist)|work=PBS Frontline|publisher=WGBH |date=January 25, 2005|access-date=October 18, 2011 }}<br>{{cite book|last1=Geltzer|first1=Joshua A.|title=US Counter-Terrorism Strategy and al-Qaeda: Signalling and the Terrorist World-View|date=2011|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0415664523|page=83|edition=Reprint}}</ref><ref name="spiegel1">{{cite web|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,369448,00.html |title=The Future of Terrorism: What al-Qaida Really Wants |work=Der Spiegel |date=August 12, 2005 |access-date=October 18, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307084609/http://www.spiegel.de/international/0%2C1518%2C369448%2C00.html |archive-date=March 7, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="PanIslamism">{{cite news|url=http://my.telegraph.co.uk/riteman/riteway/16309030/al-qaeda-seeks-global-dominance/|title=Al-Qaeda seeks global dominance|location=London|work=The Daily Telegraph|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112142751/http://my.telegraph.co.uk/riteman/riteway/16309030/al-qaeda-seeks-global-dominance/|archive-date=January 12, 2012}}<br>{{cite web|url=http://www.thepolitic.com/archives/2005/07/27/jihadists-want-global-caliphate/|title=Jihadists Want Global Caliphate|publisher=ThePolitic.com|date=July 27, 2005|access-date=October 18, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930020925/http://www.thepolitic.com/archives/2005/07/27/jihadists-want-global-caliphate/|archive-date=September 30, 2011|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}<br>{{cite web|author=Pike, John|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/al-qaida.htm|title=Al-Qaida|publisher=Globalsecurity.org|access-date=October 18, 2011}}<br>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/mar/21/alqaida.terrorism|location=London|work=The Guardian|first1=Jason|last1=Burke|title=What exactly does al-Qaeda want?|date=March 21, 2004}}</ref>
| | [[Khorasan Group]]<br/> |
| * [[Salafist jihadism]]<ref name="Moghadam">{{cite book|last1=Moghadam|first1=Assaf|title=The Globalization of Martyrdom: Al Qaeda, Salafi Jihad, and the Diffusion of Suicide Attacks|year=2008|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|isbn=978-0-8018-9055-0|page=48}}</ref><ref name="SalafistJidadism">{{cite web|title=Special Reports – The Salafist Movement: Al Qaeda's New Front|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/front/special/sala.html|last1=Livesey|first1=Bruce|author-link=Bruce Livesey (journalist)|work=PBS Frontline|publisher=WGBH |date=January 25, 2005|access-date=October 18, 2011 }}<br>{{cite book|last1=Geltzer|first1=Joshua A.|title=US Counter-Terrorism Strategy and al-Qaeda: Signalling and the Terrorist World-View|date=2011|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0415664523|page=83|edition=Reprint}}</ref>
| | [[Al-Qaeda in Sinai Peninsula]]<br/> |
| * [[Qutbism]]<ref>{{harvnb|Wright|2006|p=79}}</ref><ref name=gallagher14>{{harvnb|Gallagher|Willsky-Ciollo|2021|p=14}}</ref>
| | [[Imam Shamil Battalion]]<br/> |
| * [[Anti-American]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ict.org.il/articles/fatwah.htm|title=Text of Fatwah Urging Jihad Against Americans|access-date=May 15, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060422210853/http://www.ict.org.il/articles/fatwah.htm|archive-date=April 22, 2006}}</ref>
| | [[Guardians of Religion Organization]] <small>(2018–present)</small><br/> |
| * [[Anti-communism]]<ref name="AntiSoviet"/>
| | [[Al-Qaeda Kurdish Battalions]]<br/> |
| * [[Anti-Zionism]]<ref name=Time1999>{{cite web|url=http://content.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,17676,00.html|title=Conversation with Terror|work=Time|date=January 1999|access-date=March 22, 2015}}</ref><ref name=Letter2002>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/nov/24/theobserver|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130826184301/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/nov/24/theobserver|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 26, 2013|title=Full text: bin Laden's 'letter to America' | World news |work=The Observer |date=August 26, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/irp/world/para/docs/980223-fatwa.htm|title=Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders|access-date=June 16, 2010|date=February 23, 1998}}</ref>
| | [[Ansaru|Al Qaeda in the Lands Beyond the Sahel]] |
| * [[Antisemitism]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/irp/world/para/docs/980223-fatwa.htm|title=Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders|access-date=June 16, 2010|date=February 23, 1998}}</ref><ref name=Time1999 /><ref name=Letter2002 /><ref name=May1998>{{cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/who/interview.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990508145341/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/who/interview.html|title=frontline: the terrorist and the superpower: who is bin laden?: interview with osama bin laden (in may 1998)|archive-date=May 8, 1999|publisher=pbs.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.adl.org/blog/new-isis-and-al-qaeda-propaganda-prioritize-the-us-and-jews-as-targets|title=New ISIS and Al-Qaeda propaganda prioritize the US and Jews as targets|website=Anti-Defamation League}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.adl.org/blog/isis-augments-its-threats-against-israel|title=ISIS Augments Its Threats Against Israel|website=Anti-Defamation League}}</ref>
| | [[Al-Qaeda in Bosnia and Herzegovina]]<br/> |
| * [[Anti-Shi'ism]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/al-qaeda-v-isis-ideology-strategy|title=Al Qaeda v ISIS: Ideology & Strategy | Wilson Center|website=www.wilsoncenter.org}}</ref>
| | [[Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin|Al-Qaeda in Mali]]<br/> |
| }}
| | [[Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades|Al-Qaeda in Spain]]<br/> |
| |clans = {{Plain list|
| | [[Tanzim Qaedat al-Jihad|Al-Qaeda in the Malay Archipelago]] |
| * Al-Qaeda Central (1988–present)
| | |leaders=[[Osama bin Laden]]{{KIA}} (1988–2011)<br />[[Ayman al-Zawahiri]]{{KIA}} (2011–2022) |
| * [[Al-Qaeda in Iraq]] (2004–2013, became [[Mujahideen Shura Council (Iraq)|Mujahideen Shura Council]] in January 2006)
| | |area=Worldwide<br /> |
| * [[Mujahideen Shura Council (Iraq)|Mujahideen Shura Council]] (January 2006 – October 2006, became [[Islamic State of Iraq]] in October 2006)
| | Predominantly in the Middle East<br /> |
| * [[Islamic State of Iraq]] (2006–2013)
| | [[List of active rebel groups#Groups which control territory|Rebel group with current territorial control in:]] |
| * [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]] (2013–2014)
| | * [[Somalia]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.polgeonow.com/2013/05/somalia-war-map-al-shabaab-2013.html|title=War in Somalia: Map of Al Shabaab Control (June 2013)|date=May 31, 2013|accessdate=August 18, 2014|publisher=Political Geography Now|author=Evan Centanni}}</ref> |
| * [[Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb]] (2007–present)
| | * [[Syria]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.plenglish.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3847431&Itemid=1|title=Prensa Latina News Agency|accessdate=April 12, 2016}}</ref> |
| * [[Tawhid al-Jihad (Gaza Strip)|Tawhid al-Jihad]] (2008–present)
| | * [[Yemen]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/yemen/aden-intellgence-service-building-targeted-1.1570990|title=Aden intelligence service building targeted|date=August 22, 2015|accessdate=August 22, 2015|publisher=Gulf News|work=AFP}}</ref> |
| * [[Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula]] (2009–present) | | |strength={{unbulleted list |
| * [[Ansar al-Sharia (Yemen)|Ansar al-Sharia]]
| | | In the Af-Pak region: <100 <small>(2011)</small><ref>{{cite web|author=Bill Roggio|url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2011/04/how_many_al_qaeda_operatives_a.php |title=How many al Qaeda operatives are now left in Afghanistan? |publisher=Longwarjournal.org |date=April 26, 2011 |accessdate=April 10, 2014}}</ref> 300–3,000 <small>(2012–14)</small><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/21/al-qaeda-afghanistan-comeback_n_1997994.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023084738/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/21/al-qaeda-afghanistan-comeback_n_1997994.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 23, 2012 |title=Al Qaeda in Afghanistan Is Attempting A Comeback |work=The Huffington Post |date=October 21, 2012 |accessdate=April 10, 2014 }}</ref><ref name="telegraph.co.uk">{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/al-qaeda/10893889/Al-Qaeda-map-Isis-Boko-Haram-and-other-affiliates-strongholds-across-Africa-and-Asia.html |title=Al-Qaeda map: Isis, Boko Haram and other affiliates' strongholds across Africa and Asia |date=June 12, 2014 |accessdate=August 29, 2014}}</ref> 800 <small>(2018)</small><ref name="cfr.org"/> |
| * [[Al-Shabaab (militant group)|Al-Shabaab]] (2010–present)
| | | [[al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb|In Libya]]: 5,000<ref name="cfr.org">{{cite web|url=https://www.cfr.org/expert-brief/al-qaedas-resurrection|title=Al-Qaeda's Resurrection|author=Bruce Hoffman|publisher=Council on Foreign Relations|date=March 6, 2018}}</ref> |
| * [[Al-Nusra Front]] (2012–2017, became [[Tahrir al-Sham]] in January 2017)
| | | [[al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb|In the Maghreb]]: 800–1,000+ <small>(2015)</small><ref>{{cite web| title =Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)| url =http://www.cfr.org/terrorist-organizations-and-networks/al-qaeda-islamic-maghreb-aqim/p12717| website =Council on Foreign Relations| date =March 27, 2015| accessdate =July 2, 2015| archive-date =May 11, 2015| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20150511122144/http://www.cfr.org/terrorist-organizations-and-networks/al-qaeda-islamic-maghreb-aqim/p12717| url-status =dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title =Profile: Al-Qaeda in North Africa| url =https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-17308138| publisher =BBC| date = January 17, 2013|accessdate = July 2, 2015}}</ref> |
| * [[Tahrir al-Sham]] (alleged, 2017–present) | | | [[Al-Mourabitoun (jihadist group)|In West Africa]]: 100+ <small>(2015)</small><ref>{{cite web| title =Mali: qui sont les nouveaux chefs des katibas jihadistes?| url =http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20140514-mali-etat-jihadistes-apres-mort-emir-al-mourabitoune-aqmi-al-qaida-mujao-belmokhtar/| website =Radio France internationale| date = May 14, 2014| accessdate =August 19, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title =Notorious Extremist Said to Head Al-Qaida West Africa Branch| url =http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/notorious-extremist-head-al-qaida-west-africa-branch-33108136| website =abc| date = August 15, 2015| accessdate =August 19, 2015}}</ref> |
| * [[Al-Mourabitoun (militant group)|Al-Mourabitoun]] (2013–2015, joined [[AQIM]] in December 2015)
| | | [[al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula|In the Arabian Peninsula]]: 6,000–8,000 (2018)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/f38788a561d74ca78c77cb43612d50da/Yemen:-US-allies-don%27t-defeat-al-Qaida-but-pay-it-to-go-away|title=AP Investigation: US allies, al-Qaida battle rebels in Yemen|website=AP News|date=August 7, 2018}}</ref> |
| * [[Jund al-Aqsa]] (2014–2017)
| |
| * [[Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent]] (2014–present) | |
| * [[Khorasan Group]]
| |
| * [[Al-Qaeda in Sinai Peninsula]]
| |
| * [[Imam Shamil Battalion]]
| |
| * [[Guardians of Religion Organization]] (2018–present)
| |
| * [[Ansar Bait al-Maqdis]] (2011-2014)
| |
| * [[Al-Qaeda Kurdish Battalions]]
| |
| * [[Ansaru]]
| |
| * [[Al-Qaeda in Bosnia and Herzegovina]]
| |
| * [[Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin]]
| |
| * [[Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades]]
| |
| * [[Tanzim Qaedat al-Jihad]]
| |
| }}
| |
| |leaders = [[Osama bin Laden]]{{KIA}} (1988–2011)<br>[[Ayman al-Zawahiri]] (2011–present) | |
| |headquarters =
| |
| |area = {{Plain list|
| |
| * Worldwide
| |
| * Predominantly in the Middle East
| |
| * [[List of rebel groups that control territory|Rebel group with current territorial control in:]]
| |
| ** [[Mali]]
| |
| ** [[Somalia]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.polgeonow.com/2013/05/somalia-war-map-al-shabaab-2013.html|title=War in Somalia: Map of Al Shabaab Control (June 2013)|date=May 31, 2013|access-date=August 18, 2014|publisher=Political Geography Now|first1=Evan|last1=Centanni}}</ref>
| |
| ** [[Syria]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.plenglish.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3847431&Itemid=1|title=Prensa Latina News Agency|access-date=April 12, 2016}}</ref>
| |
| ** [[Yemen]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/yemen/aden-intellgence-service-building-targeted-1.1570990|title=Aden intelligence service building targeted|date=August 22, 2015|access-date=August 22, 2015|publisher=Gulf News|work=AFP}}</ref>
| |
| }}
| |
| |size = {{unbulleted list | |
| | In the Afghan region: <100 (2011)<ref>{{cite web |first1=Bill |last1=Roggio |url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2011/04/how_many_al_qaeda_operatives_a.php |title=How many al Qaeda operatives are now left in Afghanistan? |publisher=Longwarjournal.org |date=April 26, 2011 |access-date=April 10, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140706151045/http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2011/04/how_many_al_qaeda_operatives_a.php |archive-date=July 6, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 300–3,000 (2012–2014)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/21/al-qaeda-afghanistan-comeback_n_1997994.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023084738/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/21/al-qaeda-afghanistan-comeback_n_1997994.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 23, 2012 |title=Al Qaeda in Afghanistan Is Attempting A Comeback |work=The Huffington Post |date=October 21, 2012 |access-date=April 10, 2014 }}</ref><ref name="telegraph.co.uk">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/al-qaeda/10893889/Al-Qaeda-map-Isis-Boko-Haram-and-other-affiliates-strongholds-across-Africa-and-Asia.html |title=Al-Qaeda map: Isis, Boko Haram and other affiliates' strongholds across Africa and Asia |date=June 12, 2014 |access-date=August 29, 2014|last1=Freeman |first1=Colin }}</ref> 800 (2018)<ref name="cfr.org"/> | |
| | [[al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb|In Libya]]: 5,000<ref name="cfr.org">{{cite web|url=https://www.cfr.org/expert-brief/al-qaedas-resurrection|title=Al-Qaeda's Resurrection|first1=Bruce|last1=Hoffman|publisher=Council on Foreign Relations|date=March 6, 2018}}</ref>
| |
| | [[al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb|In the Maghreb]]: 800–1,000+ (2015)<ref>{{cite web| title =Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)| url =http://www.cfr.org/terrorist-organizations-and-networks/al-qaeda-islamic-maghreb-aqim/p12717| website =Council on Foreign Relations| date =March 27, 2015| access-date =July 2, 2015| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20150511122144/http://www.cfr.org/terrorist-organizations-and-networks/al-qaeda-islamic-maghreb-aqim/p12717| archive-date =May 11, 2015| url-status =dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title =Profile: Al-Qaeda in North Africa| url =https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-17308138| publisher =BBC| date = January 17, 2013|access-date = July 2, 2015}}</ref>
| |
| | [[Al-Mourabitoun (jihadist group)|In West Africa]]: 100+ (2015)<ref>{{cite web| title =Mali: qui sont les nouveaux chefs des katibas jihadistes?| url =http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20140514-mali-etat-jihadistes-apres-mort-emir-al-mourabitoune-aqmi-al-qaida-mujao-belmokhtar/| website =Radio France internationale| date = May 14, 2014| access-date =August 19, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title =Notorious Extremist Said to Head Al-Qaida West Africa Branch| url =https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/notorious-extremist-head-al-qaida-west-africa-branch-33108136| website =abc| date =August 15, 2015| access-date =August 19, 2015| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20150816054023/https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/notorious-extremist-head-al-qaida-west-africa-branch-33108136| archive-date =August 16, 2015| url-status =dead}}</ref>
| |
| | [[al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula|In the Arabian Peninsula]]: 6,000–8,000 (2018)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/f38788a561d74ca78c77cb43612d50da/Yemen:-US-allies-don%27t-defeat-al-Qaida-but-pay-it-to-go-away|title=AP Investigation: US allies, al-Qaida battle rebels in Yemen|publisher=AP News|date=August 7, 2018}}</ref>
| |
| | [[Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin|In Mali]]: 800–5,400 | | | [[Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin|In Mali]]: 800–5,400 |
| | [[Imam Shamil Battalion|In Russia]]: 100<ref name="cfr.org"/> | | | [[Imam Shamil Battalion|In Russia]]: 100<ref name="cfr.org"/> |
| | [[al-Shabaab (militant group)|In Somalia]]: 7,000–9,000<ref name="Jgagvfts">{{cite news|title=Jihadist groups across globe vying for terror spotlight|url=http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/07/10/world-worst-jihadist-groups-across-globe-vie-for-terror-spotlight/|access-date=January 7, 2015|publisher=Fox News Channel|date=July 10, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-15336689|title=Who are Somalia's al-Shabab?|publisher=BBC News|date=December 22, 2017}}</ref> | | | [[al-Shabaab (militant group)|In Somalia]]: 7,000–9,000<ref name="Jgagvfts">{{cite news|title=Jihadist groups across globe vying for terror spotlight|url=http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/07/10/world-worst-jihadist-groups-across-globe-vie-for-terror-spotlight/|accessdate=January 7, 2015|publisher=Fox News Channel|date=July 10, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-15336689|title=Who are Somalia's al-Shabab?|work=BBC News |date=December 22, 2017}}</ref> |
| | [[Tahrir al-Sham|In Syria]]: [[Tahrir al-Sham]] 7,000–11,000 (2018)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/mideast/syria-s-civil-war-has-been-raging-7-years-what-n849851|title=Bombs are falling on a rebel enclave in Syria every minute|publisher=NBC News|date=February 21, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Reality Check team 2018">{{cite web | author=Reality Check team | title=Syria: Who's in control of Idlib? | publisher=BBC News | date=7 September 2018 | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-45401474 | access-date=22 October 2018}}</ref> [[Guardians of Religion Organization|Hurras al-Din]] 2,000–3,000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kyleorton1991.wordpress.com/2018/03/01/a-new-branch-of-al-qaeda-emerges-in-syria/|first1=Kyle|last1=Orton|title=A New Branch of Al-Qaeda Emerges in Syria|date=March 1, 2018|publisher=Kyle Orton's Blog}}</ref> | | | [[Tahrir al-Sham|In Syria]]: [[Tahrir al-Sham]] 7,000–11,000 <small>(2018)</small><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/mideast/syria-s-civil-war-has-been-raging-7-years-what-n849851|title=Bombs are falling on a rebel enclave in Syria every minute|publisher=NBC News|date=February 21, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Reality Check team 2018">{{cite web | author=Reality Check team | title=Syria: Who's in control of Idlib? | website=BBC News | date=September 7, 2018 | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-45401474 | access-date=October 22, 2018}}</ref> [[Guardians of Religion Organization|Hurras al-Din]] 2,000–3,000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kyleorton1991.wordpress.com/2018/03/01/a-new-branch-of-al-qaeda-emerges-in-syria/|author=Kyle Orton|title=A New Branch of Al-Qaeda Emerges in Syria|date=March 1, 2018|publisher=Kyle Orton's Blog}}</ref> |
| | [[Al-Qaeda in Sinai Peninsula|In the Sinai Peninsula]]: 1,000<ref name="cfr.org"/> | | | [[Al-Qaeda in Sinai Peninsula|In the Sinai Peninsula]]: 1,000<ref name="cfr.org"/> |
| | [[Ansaru|In Nigeria]]: 2,000–3,000<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/international/2013/11/18/01003-20131118ARTFIG00218-l-intervention-francaise-au-mali-a-deplace-la-menace-djihadiste-vers-le-sud.php|title=L'intervention française au Mali a déplacé la menace djihadiste vers le sud|date=November 18, 2013}}</ref> | | | [[Ansaru|In Nigeria]]: 2,000–3,000<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/international/2013/11/18/01003-20131118ARTFIG00218-l-intervention-francaise-au-mali-a-deplace-la-menace-djihadiste-vers-le-sud.php|title="L'intervention française au Mali a déplacé la menace djihadiste vers le sud"|date=November 18, 2013}}</ref> |
| | Total: 31,400+ – 57,600+~ | | | Total: 31,400+ – 57,600+~ |
| }} | | }} |
| |predecessor = | | |previous= |
| |allies = | | |allies = |
| '''State allies:''' | | '''State allies:''' |
| * {{flag|Iran}} (alleged, denied)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-iran-alqaeda-idUSKCN1LN2LE|title=Study questions Iran-al Qaeda ties, despite U.S. allegations|publisher=Reuters|date=September 7, 2018|via=www.reuters.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/pages/hp1360.aspx|title=Treasury Targets Al Qaida Operatives in Iran|website=treasury.gov}}</ref> | | * {{flag|Saudi Arabia}} (alleged, denied)<ref name="WT">{{cite news|last1=Thomas|first1=Carls|title=The Saudis channel the mafia: Fears of Saudi retaliation deter truth about 9/11|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/apr/18/cal-thomas-fears-of-saudi-retaliation-deter-truth-/|accessdate=April 28, 2016|work=The Washington Times}}</ref> |
| * {{flag|Pakistan}} (alleged, denied)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/23/magazine/what-pakistan-knew-about-bin-laden.html?_r=1 |title=What Pakistan Knew About Bin Laden|newspaper=The New York Times|date=March 19, 2014|last1=Gall|first1=Carlotta}}</ref>
| | * {{flag|Qatar}} (alleged, denied)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/1.795628|title=Fact Check: Is Qatar Supporting Terrorism? A Look at Its Ties to Iran, ISIS and the Muslim Brotherhood|last1=Haaretz|first2=The Associated|last2=Press|newspaper=הארץ |date=July 11, 2017|via=Haaretz}}</ref> |
| * {{flag|Qatar}} (alleged, denied)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/1.795628|title=Fact Check: Is Qatar Supporting Terrorism? A Look at Its Ties to Iran, ISIS and the Muslim Brotherhood|last1=Haaretz|first2=The Associated|last2=Press|date=July 11, 2017|newspaper=Haaretz}}</ref> | | * {{flag|Iran}} (alleged, denied)<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-iran-alqaeda/study-questions-iran-al-qaeda-ties-despite-u-s-allegations-idUSKCN1LN2LE Study questions Iran-al Qaeda ties, despite U.S. allegations - Reuters]</ref><ref>[https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/pages/hp1360.aspx Treasury Targets Al Qaida Operatives in Iran]</ref> |
| * {{flag|Saudi Arabia}} (alleged, denied)<ref name="WT">{{cite news|last1=Thomas|first1=Carls|title=The Saudis channel the mafia: Fears of Saudi retaliation deter truth about 9/11|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/apr/18/cal-thomas-fears-of-saudi-retaliation-deter-truth-/|access-date=April 28, 2016|work=The Washington Times}}</ref> | |
| | |
| '''Non-state allies:''' | | '''Non-state allies:''' |
| * [[File:Flag of Taliban.svg|border|23px]] [[Taliban]] | | * [[File:Flag of Taliban.svg|25px]] [[Taliban]] |
| * [[File:Flag of Tehrik-i-Taliban.svg|border|23px]] [[Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan]] | | * [[File:Flag of Tehrik-i-Taliban.svg|25px]] [[Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan]] |
| * [[File:AQMI Flag asymmetric.svg|border|23px]] [[Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan]] | | * [[File:AQMI Flag asymmetric.svg|25px]] [[Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan]] |
| * [[File:Flag of Turkistan Islamic Party.svg|border|23px]] [[Turkistan Islamic Party]] | | * [[File:Flag of Turkistan Islamic Party.svg|25px]] [[Turkistan Islamic Party]] |
| * [[File:Flag of Lashkar-e-Taiba.svg|border|23px]] [[Lashkar-e-Taiba]] | | * [[File:Flag of Lashkar-e-Taiba.svg|25px]] [[Lashkar-e-Taiba]] |
| * [[File:Flag of Caucasian Emirate.svg|border|23px]] [[Caucasus Emirate]] | | * [[File:Flag of Caucasian Emirate.svg|25px]] [[Caucasus Emirate]] |
| * [[File:Flag of al-Qaeda.svg|border|23px]] [[Haqqani network]] | | * [[File:Flag of al-Qaeda.svg|25px]] [[Haqqani network]] |
| * [[File:Flag of Jihad.svg|border|23px]] [[Egyptian Islamic Jihad]] | | * [[File:Flag of Jihad.svg|25px]] [[Egyptian Islamic Jihad]] |
| * [[Jaish-e-Mohammed]] | | * [[Jaish-e-Mohammed]] |
| * [[Jemaah Islamiyah]] | | * [[Jemaah Islamiyah]] |
| |opponents = | | |opponents= |
| '''State opponents:''' | | '''State opponents''' |
| * {{IRQ}} | | * {{flagicon|NATO}} [[NATO]] |
| * {{flag|NATO}}
| | ** {{flagicon image|Seal of the International Security Assistance Force.svg}} [[International Security Assistance Force|ISAF]] |
| ** {{Flagicon image|Flag of the International Security Assistance Force.svg}} [[International Security Assistance Force|ISAF]] (2001–14) | |
| ** {{flagicon image|Flag of the Resolute Support Mission.svg}} [[Resolute Support Mission|Resolute Support]]
| |
| * {{flag|United States}} | | * {{flag|United States}} |
| * {{flag|United Kingdom}} | | * {{flag|United Kingdom}} |
| * {{flag|France}} | | * {{flag|France}} |
| * {{flag|Israel}}
| |
| * {{flag|India}}
| |
| * {{flag|Russia}} | | * {{flag|Russia}} |
| * {{flag|Saudi Arabia}}<ref>{{cite web |last1=Byman |first1=Daniel L. |title=The U.S.-Saudi Arabia counterterrorism relationship |url=https://www.brookings.edu/testimonies/the-u-s-saudi-arabia-counterterrorism-relationship/ |website=Brookings |publisher=Brookings |access-date=8 June 2021 |quote=Saudi Arabia considers Al Qaeda to be a mortal enemy}}</ref> | | * {{flag|Soviet Union}} <small>(1988–1991)</small> |
| * {{flag|Soviet Union}} (1988–1991)
| | * {{flag|China}}<ref name="uyg1">[http://chinaperspectives.revues.org/648#tocto1n10 "The Chinese regime and the Uyghur dilemma"] Summary of {{cite journal|url=http://chinaperspectives.revues.org/648|title=The Uyghurs in Xinjiang – The Malaise Grows|last=Castets|first=Rémi|year=2003 |journal=China Perspectives|volume=2003 |issue=5 |doi=10.4000/chinaperspectives.648 |accessdate=June 10, 2012}}</ref> |
| * {{flag|China}}<ref name="uyg1">[http://chinaperspectives.revues.org/648#tocto1n10 "The Chinese regime and the Uyghur dilemma"] Summary of {{cite journal|url=http://chinaperspectives.revues.org/648|title=The Uyghurs in Xinjiang – The Malaise Grows|last1=Castets|first1=Rémi|year=2003|journal=China Perspectives|volume=2003|issue=5|doi=10.4000/chinaperspectives.648|access-date=10 June 2012|doi-access=free}}</ref> | | '''Non-State opponents''' |
| '''Non-state opponents:''' | | * [[File:AQMI Flag asymmetric.svg|25px]] [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]] |
| * {{flagicon image|AQMI Flag asymmetric.svg}} [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]] | |
| * {{flagicon image|InfoboxHez.PNG}} [[Hezbollah]] | | * {{flagicon image|InfoboxHez.PNG}} [[Hezbollah]] |
| * {{flagicon image|Flag of Hamas.svg}} [[Hamas]] | | * {{flagicon image|Flag of Hamas.svg}} [[Hamas]] |
| * {{flagicon image|Ansarullah Flag Vector.svg}} [[Houthis]] | | * {{flagicon image|Ansarullah Flag Vector.svg}} [[Houthis]] |
| * {{flagicon image|Flag of South Yemen.svg}} [[Southern Movement]] | | * {{flagicon image|Flag of South Yemen.svg}} [[Southern Movement]] |
| |battles = | | |battles= |
| [[War on Terror]]<br> | | [[War on Terror]]<br /> |
| In Afghanistan | | In Afghanistan |
| * [[Afghan Civil War (1996–2001)]] | | * [[Afghan Civil War (1996–2001)]] |
| Line 152: |
Line 112: |
| * [[Balochistan conflict]] | | * [[Balochistan conflict]] |
| In Somalia | | In Somalia |
| * [[Somalia War (2006–2009)]] | | * [[Somali Civil War (2006–2009)]] |
| * [[Somali Civil War (2009–present)]] | | * [[Somali Civil War (2009–present)]] |
| In Syria | | In Syria |
| Line 160: |
Line 120: |
| In Egypt | | In Egypt |
| * [[Sinai insurgency]] | | * [[Sinai insurgency]] |
| * [[Egyptian Crisis (2011–14)|Egyptian Crisis (2011–2014)]] | | * [[Egyptian Crisis (2011–14)|Egyptian Crisis (2011–2014))]] |
| |status =
| | |designated_as_terror_group_by={{CAN}}<br>{{CHN}}<br>{{FRA}}<br>{{IRN}}<br>{{JPN}}<br>{{GBR}}<br>{{RUS}}<br>{{USA}}<br>{{ARE}} |
| |designated_as_terror_group_by = [[#Designation as a terrorist group|See below]] | |
| }} | | }} |
|
| |
|
| '''Al-Qaeda''' ({{IPAc-en|æ|l|ˈ|k|aɪ|d|ə|,_|ˌ|æ|l|k|ɑː|ˈ|iː|d|ə}}; {{lang-ar|القاعدة}} ''{{transl|ar|DIN|al-Qāʿidah}}'', {{IPA-ar|ælqɑːʕɪdɐ|IPA}}, translation: "The Base", "The Foundation", alternatively spelled '''al-Qaida''' and '''al-Qa'ida''') is a [[Islamism|militant Sunni Islamist]]<ref name=gallagher14/> multi-national organization,<ref name=dalacoura40>{{harvnb|Dalacoura|2012|pp=40-48}}</ref> widely regarded as terrorist,<ref name=dalacoura40/> founded in 1988<ref name=bergen75>{{harvnb|Bergen|2006|p=75}}.</ref> by [[Osama bin Laden]], [[Abdullah Azzam]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07272007/alqaeda.html|title=Bill Moyers Journal. A Brief History of Al Qaeda|publisher=PBS.com|date=July 27, 2007|access-date=March 31, 2012}}</ref> and several other Arab volunteers during the [[Soviet–Afghan War]].<ref name="AntiSoviet">{{cite court|litigants=United States v. Usama bin Laden et al.|volume=S (7) 98|reporter=Cr.|opinion=1023|pinpoint=Testimony of Jamal Ahmed Mohamed al-Fadl|court=[[United States District Court for the Southern District of New York|SDNY]]|date=February 6, 2001|url=http://cryptome.org/usa-v-ubl-02.htm}}<br>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1670089.stm|title=Al-Qaeda's origins and links|work=BBC News|date=July 20, 2004|access-date=June 3, 2014}}<br>{{Cite book|last1=Cooley |first1=John K. |author-link=John K. Cooley |title=Unholy Wars: Afghanistan, America and International Terrorism |date=Spring 2003 }}</ref>
| | [[File:Flag of al-Qaeda in Iraq.svg|thumb|A [[jihad]]ist flag of uncertain origin]] |
| | | [[File:September 11 Photo Montage.jpg|thumb|The [[September 11 attacks]], was the deadlist al-Qaeda attack.]] |
| Al-Qaeda operates as a network of [[Islamic extremist]]s and [[Salafi jihadism|Salafist jihadists]]. The organization has been designated as a [[List of designated terrorist groups|terrorist group]] by the [[United Nations Security Council]], the [[NATO|North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] (NATO), the [[European Union]], the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Russia, India, and various other countries (see [[#Designation as a terrorist group|below]]). Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on non-military and military targets in various countries, including the [[1998 United States embassy bombings]], the [[September 11 attacks]], and the [[2002 Bali bombings]].<ref name=dalacoura40/>
| | '''al-Qaeda'''<ref>{{pron-en|ælˈkaɪdə}} {{respell|al|KYE|də}} or {{IPA-en|ælˈkeɪdə|}} {{respell|al|KAY|də}}; alternatively spelled '''al-Qaida''' and sometimes '''al-Qa'ida'''</ref> ({{lang-ar|القاعدة}}, ''al-qāʿidah'', "the base"), is an [[Weapons|armed]] [[Islamic]] group that was started between August 1988 and late 1989.<ref name="bergen">{{cite book| last = Bergen| first = Peter L.| title = The Osama Bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of Al Qaeda's Leader| url = https://archive.org/details/osamabinladenikn0000berg_n8c8| year = 2006| publisher = Simon and Schuster| isbn = 0-7432-7892-5 }}</ref><sup>p75</sup><ref name="al-Fadl">{{cite web |url=http://cns.miis.edu/pubs/reports/binladen.htm |title=Testimony of Jamal Ahmad Al-Fadl |date=February 6, 2001 |publisher=James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies |author=United States District Court, Southern District of New York |work=United States v. Usama bin Laden |accessdate=2008-09-03 |archive-date=2001-12-14 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20011214040200/http%3A//cns.miis.edu/pubs/reports/binladen.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> It works as a network, as a stateless army,<ref>{{harvnb|Gunaratna|2002|pp=95–96}}. "al-Qaeda's global network, as we know it today, was created while it was based in Khartoum, from December 1991 till May 1996. To coordinate its overt and covert operations as al-Qaeda's ambitions and resources increased, it developed a decentralised, regional structure. [...] As a global multinational, al-Qaeda makes its constituent nationalities and ethnic groups, of which there are several dozen, responsible for a particular geographic region. Though its ''modus operandi'' is cellular, familial relationships play a key role."<br/> See also: |
| | | * {{cite journal|last=Naím|first=Moisés|title=The five wars of globalization|journal=Foreign Policy|issue=134|pages=28–37|date=January 2003|doi=10.2307/3183519|jstor=3183519}}</ref> and a radical [[Sunni]] [[Muslim]] movement calling for global [[Jihad]]. Most of the world thinks it is a [[Takfiri]] and a [[terrorist]] organization.<ref>{{cite book| last = Ross| first = Jeffrey Ian| title = The Dynamics of Political Crime| url = https://archive.org/details/dynamicsofpoliti0000ross| year = 2003| publisher = SAGE| isbn = 978-0-8039-7045-8 }}</ref><ref>2010 Amil Khan, The Long Struggle, p 88</ref> |
| The United States government responded to the September 11 attacks by launching the "[[War on Terror]]", which sought to undermine al-Qaeda and its allies. The deaths of key leaders, including [[death of Osama bin Laden|that of Osama bin Laden]], have led al-Qaeda's operations to shift from top-down organization and planning of attacks, to the planning of attacks which are carried out by a loose network of associated groups and [[Lone wolf (terrorism)|lone-wolf]] operators. Al-Qaeda characteristically organises attacks which include [[suicide attack]]s and the simultaneous bombing of several [[Target of opportunity|targets]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Wright|2006|pp=107–108, 185, 270–271}}</ref> Al-Qaeda ideologues envision the removal of all foreign influences in [[Muslim world|Muslim countries]].<ref name="spiegel1"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mi5.gov.uk/output/al-qaidas-ideology.html|title=al Qaida's Ideology|publisher=MI5|access-date=May 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228214557/http://www.mi5.gov.uk/output/al-qaidas-ideology.html |archive-date=February 28, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.economist.com/node/21525400|title=Dreaming of a caliphate|date=August 6, 2011|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=May 19, 2012}}</ref>
| |
| | |
| Al-Qaeda members believe a [[Christianity and Judaism|Christian–Jewish]] alliance is [[Conspiracy (civil)|conspiring]] to destroy [[Islam]].<ref>Fu'ad Husayn 'Al-Zarqawi, "The Second Generation of al-Qa'ida, Part Fourteen," ''Al-Quds al-Arabi'', July 13, 2005</ref> As Salafist jihadists, members of al-Qaeda believe that killing [[non-combatants]] is [[Social control|religiously sanctioned]]. Al-Qaeda also opposes what it regards as [[man-made law]]s, and wants to replace them with a strict form of [[sharia law]].<ref name="LT246">{{harvnb|Wright|2006|p=[https://archive.org/details/loomingtoweralqa00wrig/page/246 246]}}</ref>
| |
| | |
| Al-Qaeda has carried out many attacks on people whom it considers ''[[kafir]]''.<ref>Jihadi Terrorism and the Radicalisation Challenge: p.219, Rik Coolsaet{{snd}}2011</ref> It is also responsible for instigating [[sectarian violence among Muslims]].<ref>Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East, and Southeast Asia{{snd}}(2011){{snd}}Barbara A. Weightman</ref> Al-Qaeda regards [[Liberal movements within Islam|liberal Muslims]], [[Shia Islam|Shias]], [[Sufism|Sufis]] and other sects as heretical and its members and sympathizers have attacked their mosques and gatherings.<ref>Security strategy and transatlantic relations (2006) Roland Dannreuther</ref> Examples of sectarian attacks include the [[2007 Yazidi communities bombings|Yazidi community bombings]], the [[23 November 2006 Sadr City bombings|Sadr City bombings]], the [[Ashoura massacre]] and the [[18 April 2007 Baghdad bombings|April 2007 Baghdad bombings]].<ref>Jihad and Just War in the War on Terror (2011) Alia Brahimi</ref>
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| | |
| Following the [[Killing of Osama bin Laden|death]] of [[Osama bin Laden]] in 2011, the group has been led by Egyptian [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]], and as of 2021 has reportedly suffered from a deterioration of central command over its regional operations.<ref name="Zakaria-10-years-29-4-21">{{cite news |last1=Zakaria |first1=Fareed |title=Opinion: Ten years later, Islamist terrorism isn't the threat it used to be |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/ten-years-later-islamist-terrorism-isnt-the-threat-it-used-to-be/2021/04/29/deb88256-a91c-11eb-bca5-048b2759a489_story.html |access-date=4 May 2021 |agency=Washington Post |date=29 April 2021}}</ref>
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| | |
| ==Organization==
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| Al-Qaeda only indirectly controls its day-to-day operations. Its philosophy calls for the [[centralization]] of decision making, while allowing for the [[decentralization]] of execution.<ref>al-Hammadi, Khalid, "The Inside Story of al-Qa'ida", part 4, ''Al-Quds al-Arabi'', March 22, 2005</ref> Al-Qaeda's top leaders have defined the organization's ideology and guiding strategy, and they have also articulated simple and easy-to-receive messages. At the same time, mid-level organizations were given autonomy, but they had to consult with top management before large-scale attacks and assassinations. Top management included the shura council as well as committees on military operations, finance, and information sharing. Through al-Qaeda's information committees, he placed special emphasis on communicating with his groups.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Al Qaeda v ISIS: Leaders & Structure {{!}} Wilson Center|url=https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/al-qaeda-v-isis-leaders-structure|access-date=2021-03-03|website=www.wilsoncenter.org|language=en}}</ref> However, after the [[War on Terror]], al-Qaeda's leadership has become isolated. As a result, the leadership has become decentralized, and the organization has become regionalized into several al-Qaeda groups.<ref>J. Feiser – {{cite web|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FH13Ak05.html |title=Evolution of the al-Qaeda brand name |work=Asia Times |date=August 13, 2004 |access-date=March 22, 2010 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20050423141837/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FH13Ak05.html |archive-date=April 23, 2005 |url-status=unfit }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sitemaker.umich.edu/satran/files/twq06spring_atran.pdf|title=The Moral Logic and Growth of Suicide Terrorism – Spring 2006|access-date=March 22, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623022648/http://www.sitemaker.umich.edu/satran/files/twq06spring_atran.pdf|archive-date=June 23, 2015|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
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| Many terrorism experts do not believe that the global jihadist movement is driven at every level by al-Qaeda's leadership. However, bin Laden held considerable ideological sway over some [[Muslim extremists]] before his death. Experts argue that al-Qaeda has fragmented into a number of disparate regional movements, and that these groups bear little connection with one another.<ref name="FT Threat">{{Cite news|last1=Blitz|first1=James|journal=Financial Times|title=A threat transformed|date=January 19, 2010|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/af31e344-0499-11df-8603-00144feabdc0.html|access-date=January 23, 2010}}</ref>
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| This view mirrors the account given by Osama bin Laden in his October 2001 interview with [[Tayseer Allouni]]:
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| {{quote| this matter isn't about any specific person and{{nbs}}... is not about the al-Qa'idah Organization. We are the children of an Islamic Nation, with Prophet Muhammad as its leader, our Lord is one{{nbs}}... and all the true believers [mu'mineen] are brothers. So the situation isn't like the West portrays it, that there is an 'organization' with a specific name (such as 'al-Qa'idah') and so on. That particular name is very old. It was born without any intention from us. Brother Abu Ubaida{{nbs}}... created a military base to train the young men to fight against the vicious, arrogant, brutal, terrorizing Soviet empire{{nbs}}... So this place was called 'The Base' ['Al-Qa'idah'], as in a training base, so this name grew and became. We aren't separated from this nation. We are the children of a nation, and we are an inseparable part of it, and from those public demonstrations which spread from the far east, from the Philippines to Indonesia, to Malaysia, to India, to Pakistan, reaching Mauritania{{nbs}}... and so we discuss the conscience of this nation.<ref name=islamicawakening>{{cite web|url=http://www.islamicawakening.com/viewarticle.php?articleID=977&pageID=64 |title=A Discussion on the New Crusader Wars: Tayseer Allouni with Usamah bin Laden |publisher=IslamicAwakening.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621142756/http://www.islamicawakening.com/viewarticle.php?articleID=977&pageID=64 |archive-date=June 21, 2013 |df=mdy }}</ref>}}
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| [[Bruce Hoffman]], however, sees al-Qaeda as a cohesive network that is strongly led from the Pakistani tribal areas.<ref name="FT Threat"/>
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| [[File:Al-Qaida crée une brigade dirigée par des Touaregs (8246938011).jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Al-Qaeda militant in [[Sahel]] armed with a [[Type 56 assault rifle]], 2012]]
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| ===Affiliates===
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| Al-Qaeda has the following direct affiliates:
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| {{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
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| * [[Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula]] (AQAP)
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| * [[Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent]] (AQIS)
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| * [[Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb]] (AQIM)
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| * [[al-Shabaab (militant group)|al-Shabaab]]
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| * [[Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin]] (JNIM)
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| * [[Al-Qaeda in Bosnia and Herzegovina]]<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/journals/med/summary/v016/16.4pena.html|title=Al Qaeda: The Balkans Connection|journal=Mediterranean Quarterly|date=November 28, 2005|volume=16|issue=4|pages=65–76|publisher=Project MUSE|access-date=April 12, 2016|last1=Pena|first1=Charles V.|doi=10.1215/10474552-16-4-65|s2cid=154570948}}</ref>
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| * [[Imam Shamil Battalion|Al-Qaeda in Caucasus and Russia]]
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| * [[Tawhid al-Jihad (Gaza Strip)|Al-Qaeda in Gaza]]
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| * [[Al-Qaeda Kurdish Battalions|Al-Qaeda in Kurdistan]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/395|title=Al Qaeda Kurdish Battalions|first1=Daniel|last1=Cassman|access-date=April 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313161800/http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/395|archive-date=March 13, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
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| * [[Abdullah Azzam Brigades|Al-Qaeda in Lebanon]]
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| * [[Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades|Al Qaeda in Spain]]
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| * [[Tanzim Qaedat al-Jihad|Al-Qaeda in the Malay Archipelago]]
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| * [[Al-Qaeda in the Sinai Peninsula]]
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| * [[Guardians of Religion Organization]]
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| {{div col end}}
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| The following are presently believed to be indirect affiliates of al-Qaeda:
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| {{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
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| * [[Caucasus Emirate]] (factions)
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| * [[Fatah al-Islam]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-lebanon/u-s-designates-fatah-al-islam-terrorist-group-idUSN1334969020070813|date=13 August 2007|title=U.S. designates Fatah al-Islam "terrorist" group|work=Reuters|access-date=11 August 2019}}</ref>
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| * [[Islamic Jihad Union]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2018/04/islamic-jihad-union-conducts-joint-raid-with-the-taliban.php|last1=Roggio|first1=Bill|last2=Weiss|first2=Caleb|date=10 April 2018|title=Islamic Jihad Union conducts joint raid with the Taliban|website=Long War Journal|access-date=11 August 2019}}</ref>
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| * [[Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan]]
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| * [[Jaish-e-Mohammed]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/mappingmilitants/profiles/jaish-e-mohammed|title=Jaish-e-Mohammed|date=July 2018|publisher=Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), Stanford University|access-date=11 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717001529/https://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/mappingmilitants/profiles/jaish-e-mohammed|archive-date=July 17, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>
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| * [[Jemaah Islamiyah]]<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gordon|first=David|date=2011|title=Jemaah Islamiyah|url=http://csis-website-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/legacy_files/files/publication/111101_Gordon_JemaahIslamiyah_WEB.pdf|journal=Homeland Security & Counterterrorism Program Transnational Threats Project|via=Center for Strategic & International Studies}}</ref>
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| * [[Lashkar-e-Taiba]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2019/07/pakistan-charges-13-lashkar-e-taiba-leaders-under-anti-terrorism-act.php|last1=Roggio|first1=Bill|date=12 July 2019|title=Pakistan charges 13 Lashkar-e-Taiba leaders under Anti-Terrorism Act|website=Long War Journal|access-date=12 August 2019}}</ref>
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| * [[Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group]]<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Jesus|first1=Carlos Echeverria|date=March 2009|title=The Current State of the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group|url=https://ctc.usma.edu/the-current-state-of-the-moroccan-islamic-combatant-group/|journal=CTC Sentinel|volume=2|issue=3|access-date=12 August 2019}}</ref>
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| {{div col end}}
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| Al-Qaeda's former affiliates include the following:
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| {{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
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| * [[Abu Sayyaf]] (pledged allegiance to [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|ISIL]] in 2014<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/375074/news/nation/biff-abu-sayyaf-pledge-allegiance-t-islamic-state-jihadists|title=BIFF, Abu Sayyaf pledge allegiance to Islamic State jihadists|work=GMA News Online|access-date=April 12, 2016}}</ref>)
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| * [[Al-Mourabitoun (militant group)|Al-Mourabitoun]] (joined [[Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin|JNIM]] in 2017<ref name="JNIM">{{cite web|url=https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2017/03/analysis-al-qaeda-groups-reorganize-in-west-africa.php|last1=Joscelyn|first1=Thomas|date=13 March 2017|title=Analysis: Al Qaeda groups reorganize in West Africa|website=Long War Journal|access-date=16 August 2019}}</ref>)
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| * [[Al-Qaeda in Iraq]] (became the [[Islamic State of Iraq]], which later seceded from al-Qaeda and became [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|ISIL]])
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| * [[Ansaru|Al-Qaeda in the Lands Beyond the Sahel]] (inactive since 2015<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://jamestown.org/program/electronic-jihad-nigeria-boko-haram-using-social-media/ |title=Electronic Jihad in Nigeria: How Boko Haram Is Using Social Media |first1=Jacob |last1=Zenn |work=[[Jamestown Foundation]] |date=9 December 2017 |access-date=16 July 2018 }}</ref>)
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| * [[Ansar al-Islam]] (majority merged with [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|ISIL]] in 2014)
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| * [[Ansar Dine]] (joined [[Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin|JNIM]] in 2017<ref name="JNIM"/>)
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| * [[Islamic Jihad of Yemen]] (became [[Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula|AQAP]])
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| * [[Jund al-Aqsa]] (defunct)
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| * [[Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa]] (merged with [[Al-Mulathameen]] to form [[Al-Mourabitoun (militant group)|Al-Mourabitoun]] in 2013)
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| * [[Rajah Sulaiman movement]] {{Citation needed|date=April 2018}} (defunct)
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| * [[Al-Nusra Front]] (became [[Hayat Tahrir al-Sham]] and split ties in 2017, disputed)
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| * [[Ansar Bait al-Maqdis]] (pledged alliance to ISIL and adopted the name Sinai Province)
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| {{div col end}}
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| ===Leadership===
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| ====Osama bin Laden (1988 – May 2011)====
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| [[File:Hamid Mir interviewing Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri 2001.jpg|thumb|Osama bin Laden (left) and Ayman al-Zawahiri (right) photographed in 2001|alt=Bin Laden and Al-Zawahiri photographed in 2001]]
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| [[Osama bin Laden]] served as the emir of al-Qaeda from the organization's founding in 1988 until his assassination by US forces on May 1, 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2011/05/al_qaeda_emir_osama.php|last1=Ardolino|first1=Bill|last2=Roggio|first2=Bill|date=1 May 2011|title=Al Qaeda emir Osama bin Laden confirmed killed by US forces in Pakistan|website=Long War Journal|access-date=5 August 2019}}</ref> [[Atiyah Abd al-Rahman]] was alleged to be second in command prior to his death on August 22, 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/us-official-al-qaidas-no-2-leader-atiyah-abd-al-rahman-killed-in-pakistan/2011/08/27/gIQABVppiJ_story.html|title=Al Qaidas No. 2 leader Atiyah Abd al-Rahman killed in Pakistan|work=The Washington Post|first1=Dan|last1=Balz|date=August 27, 2011}}{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
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| Bin Laden was advised by a [[shura|Shura Council]], which consists of senior al-Qaeda members.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/al-qaeda-v-isis-leaders-structure|last1=Glenn|first1=Cameron|date=28 September 2015|title=Al Qaeda v ISIS: Leaders & Structure|publisher=Wilson Center|access-date=5 August 2019}}</ref> The group was estimated to consist of 20–30 people.
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| ====After May 2011====
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| [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]] had been al-Qaeda's deputy emir and assumed the role of emir following bin Laden's death. Al-Zawahiri replaced [[Saif al-Adel]], who had served as interim commander.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/06/16/world/middleeast/AP-ML-Al-Qaida-Zawahri.html|title=Al-Qaida Says Al-Zawahri Has Succeeded Bin Laden|agency=Associated Press|work=The New York Times |date=June 16, 2011|access-date=June 6, 2011}}</ref>
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| On June 5, 2012, Pakistani intelligence officials announced that al-Rahman's alleged successor as second in command, [[Abu Yahya al-Libi]], had been killed in Pakistan.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/06/world/asia/qaeda-deputy-killed-in-drone-strike-in-pakistan.html|title=Drone Strike Killed No. 2 in Al Qaeda, U.S. Officials Say|date=June 5, 2012|work=The New York Times|first1=Declan|last1=Walsh|first2=Eric|last2=Schmitt}}</ref>
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| [[Nasir al-Wuhayshi]] was alleged to have become al-Qaeda's overall second in command and general manager in 2013. He was concurrently the leader of [[al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula]] (AQAP) until he was killed by a US airstrike in Yemen in June 2015.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/17/world/middleeast/al-qaeda-arabian-peninsula-yemen-nasser-al-wuhayshi-killed.html Al Qaeda Confirms U.S. Strike Killed Nasser al-Wuhayshi, Its Leader in Yemen], ''The New York Times'', Kareem Fahim, June 16, 2015</ref>
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| [[Abu Khayr al-Masri]], Wuhayshi's alleged successor as the deputy to Ayman al-Zawahiri, was killed by a US airstrike in Syria in February 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2017/03/zawahiris-deputy-sought-to-unify-syrian-rebels.php|last1=Joscelyn|first1=Thomas|date=3 March 2017|title=Zawahiri's deputy sought to 'unify' Syrian rebels|website=Long War Journal|access-date=5 August 2019}}</ref>
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| {{anchor|Committees}}<!--linked from Abu-Zaid al Kuwaiti-->Al-Qaeda's network was built from scratch as a conspiratorial network which drew upon the leadership of a number of regional nodes.<ref>{{Harvnb|Gunaratna|2002|p=54}}.</ref> The organization divided itself into several committees, which include:
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| * The Military Committee, which is responsible for training operatives, acquiring weapons, and planning attacks.
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| * The Money/Business Committee, which funds the recruitment and training of operatives through the ''[[hawala]]'' banking system. US-led efforts to eradicate the sources of "[[terrorist financing]]"<ref>{{Harvnb|State 2003}}.</ref> were most successful in the year immediately following the September 11 attacks.<ref>{{Harvnb|Basile|2004|p=177}}.</ref> Al-Qaeda continues to operate through unregulated banks, such as the 1,000 or so ''hawaladars'' in Pakistan, some of which can handle deals of up to {{US$|10}}{{nbs}}million.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wechsler|2001|p=135}}; cited in {{Harvnb|Gunaratna|2002|p=63}}.</ref> The committee also procures false passports, pays al-Qaeda members, and oversees profit-driven businesses.<ref>Businesses are run from below, with the council only being consulted on new proposals and collecting funds.<br>See:
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| * {{Harvnb|Hoffman|2002}}.</ref> In the ''[[9/11 Commission Report]]'', it was estimated that al-Qaeda required $30{{nbs}}million per year to conduct its operations.
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| * The Law Committee reviews [[Sharia law]], and decides upon courses of action conform to it.
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| * The Islamic Study/''[[Fatwā|Fatwah]]'' Committee issues religious edicts, such as an edict in 1998 telling Muslims to kill Americans.
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| * The Media Committee ran the now-defunct newspaper ''Nashrat al Akhbar'' ({{lang-en|Newscast}}) and handled [[public relations]].
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| * In 2005, al-Qaeda formed [[As-Sahab]], a media production house, to supply its video and audio materials.
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| ===Command structure===
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| Most of Al Qaeda's top leaders and operational directors were veterans who fought against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s. Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, were the leaders who were considered the operational commanders of the organization.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Al Qaeda|url=https://www.adl.org/resources/profiles/al-qaeda|access-date=2021-03-03|website=Anti-Defamation League|language=en}}</ref> Nevertheless, Al-Qaeda is not [[Military operation|operationally]] managed by Ayman al-Zawahiri. Several operational groups exist, which consult with the leadership in situations where attacks are in preparation.<ref>C. Glenn – [https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/al-qaeda-v-isis-leaders-structure ''The Islamists'']. [[Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars|The Wilson Centre]] September 28, 2015. Accessed June 15, 2017. "...{{nbs}}Zawahiri does not claim to have direct hierarchical control over al Qaeda's vast, networked structure. Al Qaeda's core leadership seeks to centralize the organization's messaging and strategy rather than to manage the daily operations of its franchises. But formal affiliates are required to consult with al Qaeda's core leadership before carrying out large-scale attacks."</ref>
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| When asked in 2005 about the possibility of al-Qaeda's connection to the [[July 7, 2005 London bombings]], [[Metropolitan Police Commissioner]] [[Sir Ian Blair]] said: "Al-Qaeda is not an organization. Al-Qaeda is a way of working{{nbs}}... but this has the hallmark of that approach{{nbs}}... al-Qaeda clearly has the ability to provide training{{nbs}}... to provide expertise{{nbs}}... and I think that is what has occurred here."<ref name="foxnewsblair">{{Cite news|title=Cops: London Attacks Were Homicide Blasts|date=July 15, 2005|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,162476,00.html|publisher=Fox News Channel|access-date=June 15, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080420155421/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,162476,00.html|archive-date=April 20, 2008|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> On August 13, 2005, ''[[The Independent]]'' newspaper, reported that the July{{nbs}}7 bombers had acted independently of an al-Qaeda mastermind.<ref>{{Cite news|title=London bombings: the truth emerges|url=http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/article305547.ece|first1=Jason|last1=Bennetto|first2=Ian|last2=Herbert|work=The Independent|location=UK|date=August 13, 2005|access-date=December 3, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061026100045/http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/article305547.ece|archive-date=October 26, 2006|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
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| Nasser al-Bahri, who was Osama bin Laden's bodyguard for four years in the run-up to 9/11 wrote in his memoir a highly detailed description of how the group functioned at that time. Al-Bahri described al-Qaeda's formal administrative structure and vast arsenal.<ref>Al-Bahri, Nasser, ''Guarding bin Laden: My Life in al-Qaeda''. p. 185. Thin Man Press. London. {{ISBN|9780956247360}}</ref> However, the author [[Adam Curtis]] argued that the idea of al-Qaeda as a formal organization is primarily an American invention. Curtis contended the name "al-Qaeda" was first brought to the attention of the public in the 2001 trial of bin Laden and the four men accused of the [[1998 US embassy bombings]] in East Africa. Curtis wrote:
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| {{quote|The reality was that bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri had become the focus of a loose association of disillusioned Islamist militants who were attracted by the new strategy. But there was no organization. These were militants who mostly planned their own operations and looked to bin Laden for funding and assistance. He was not their commander. There is also no evidence that bin Laden used the term "al-Qaeda" to refer to the name of a group until after September 11 attacks, when he realized that this was the term the Americans had given it.<ref name="The Power of Nightmares">[https://archive.org/details/ThePowerOfNightmares ''The Power of Nightmares''], BBC Documentary.</ref>}}
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| During the 2001 trial, the [[United States Department of Justice|US Department of Justice]] needed to show that bin Laden was the leader of a criminal organization in order to charge him [[trial in absentia|''in absentia'']] under the [[Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act]]. The name of the organization and details of its structure were provided in the testimony of [[Jamal al-Fadl]], who said he was a founding member of the group and a former employee of bin Laden.<ref>{{cite web|last1=McCloud|first1=Kimberly|title=WMD Terrorism and Usama bin Laden|url=http://cns.miis.edu/reports/binladen.htm|work=CNS Reports|publisher=James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies|access-date=May 4, 2011|author2=Osborne, Matthew|date=March 7, 2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110506145417/http://cns.miis.edu/reports/binladen.htm|archive-date=May 6, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> Questions about the reliability of al-Fadl's testimony have been raised by a number of sources because of his history of dishonesty, and because he was delivering it as part of a [[plea bargain]] agreement after being convicted of conspiring to attack US military establishments.<ref name="first informant">{{Harvnb|McGeary|2001}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2001/LAW/02/13/Embassy.bombings.trial/ |title=Witness: Bin Laden planned attack on U.S. embassy in Saudi Arabia
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| |publisher=CNN|date=February 13, 2001|access-date=June 12, 2007}}</ref> Sam Schmidt, a defense attorney who defended al-Fadl said:
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| {{quote|There were selective portions of al-Fadl's testimony that I believe was false, to help support the picture that he helped the Americans join together. I think he lied in a number of specific testimony about a unified image of what this organization was. It made al-Qaeda the new Mafia or the new Communists. It made them identifiable as a group and therefore made it easier to prosecute any person associated with al-Qaeda for any acts or statements made by bin Laden.<ref name="The Power of Nightmares"/>}}
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| ===Field operatives===
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| [[File:Hamid Mir interviewing Osama bin Laden.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Pakistani journalist [[Hamid Mir]] interviewing [[Osama bin Laden]] in Afghanistan, 1997]]
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| The number of individuals in the group who have undergone proper military training, and are capable of commanding insurgent forces, is largely unknown. Documents captured in the raid on bin Laden's compound in 2011 show that the core al-Qaeda membership in 2002 was 170.<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9243503/Secret-Osama-bin-Laden-files-reveal-al-Qaeda-membership.html Secret Osama bin Laden files reveal al Qaeda membership], ''The Telegraph'' accessed July 26, 2013</ref> In 2006, it was estimated that al-Qaeda had several thousand commanders embedded in 40 different countries.<ref name="Cassidy">{{Harvnb|Cassidy|2006|p=9}}.</ref> {{as of|2009}}, it was believed that no more than 200–300 members were still active commanders.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slate.com/id/2211994/|title=The Terrorists-Are-Dumb Theory: Don't mistake these guys for criminal masterminds|first1=Timothy|last1=Noah|author-link=Timothy Noah|work=Slate|date=February 25, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227091408/http://www.slate.com/id/2211994/|archive-date=February 27, 2009}}</ref>
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| According to the 2004 BBC documentary ''[[The Power of Nightmares]]'', al-Qaeda was so weakly linked together that it was hard to say it existed apart from bin Laden and a small clique of close associates. The lack of any significant numbers of convicted al-Qaeda members, despite a large number of arrests on terrorism charges, was cited by the documentary as a reason to doubt whether a widespread entity that met the description of al-Qaeda existed.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Gerges|first1=Fawaz A|title=The Far Enemy: Why Jihad Went Global|publisher=Cambridge University Press|date=September 5, 2005|isbn=0-521-79140-5|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/farenemywhyjihad0000gerg}}</ref> Al-Qaeda's commanders, as well as its sleeping agents, are hiding in different parts of the world to this day. They are mainly hunted by the American and Israeli secret services. Al Qaeda's number two leader, Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, was killed by Israeli agents. His pseudonym was Abu Muhammad al-Masri, who was killed in November 2020 in Iran. He was involved in the 1988 assassination attempt on the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-11-15|title=Report: Israeli agents assassinated Al-Qaeda's No. 2 in Iran|url=https://www.jns.org/report-israeli-agents-assassinated-al-qaedas-no-2-in-iran/|access-date=2021-03-03|website=JNS.org|language=en-US}}</ref>
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| ===Insurgent forces===
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| According to author Robert Cassidy, al-Qaeda maintains two separate forces which are deployed alongside insurgents in Iraq and Pakistan. The first, numbering in the tens of thousands, was "organized, trained, and equipped as insurgent combat forces" in the Soviet–Afghan war.<ref name="Cassidy"/> The force was composed primarily of foreign ''mujahideen'' from Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Many of these fighters went on to fight in Bosnia and Somalia for global ''jihad''. Another group, which numbered 10,000 in 2006, live in the West and have received rudimentary combat training.<ref name="Cassidy"/>
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| Other analysts have described al-Qaeda's rank and file as being "predominantly Arab" in its first years of operation, but that the organization also includes "other peoples" {{as of|2007|lc=y}}.<ref>[http://www.meforum.org/article/1710 Jihad's New Leaders] by Daveed Gartenstein-Ross and Kyle Dabruzzi, ''Middle East Quarterly'', Summer 2007</ref> It has been estimated that 62 percent of al-Qaeda members have a university education.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=c841b52c-b2e7-4e41-b27e-33d10245b935&k=0|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929120758/http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=c841b52c-b2e7-4e41-b27e-33d10245b935&k=0|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 29, 2007|title=Today's jihadists: educated, wealthy and bent on killing?|publisher=Canada.com|date=July 3, 2007|access-date=March 22, 2010}}</ref> In 2011 and the following year, the Americans successfully settled accounts with Osama bin Laden, Anwar al-Awlaki, the organization's chief propagandist, and Abu Yahya al-Libi's deputy commander. The optimistic voices were already saying it was over for al-Qaeda. Nevertheless, it was around this time that the Arab Spring greeted the region, the turmoil of which came great to al-Qaeda's regional forces. Seven years later, Ayman al-Zawahiri became arguably the number one leader in the organization, implementing his strategy with systematic consistency. Tens of thousands loyal to al-Qaeda and related organizations were able to challenge local and regional stability and ruthlessly attack their enemies in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe and Russia alike. In fact, from Northwest Africa to South Asia, al-Qaeda had more than two dozen “franchise-based” allies. The number of al-Qaeda militants was set at 20,000 in Syria alone, and they had 4,000 members in Yemen and about 7,000 in Somalia. The war was not over.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Al-Qaeda's Resurrection|url=https://www.cfr.org/expert-brief/al-qaedas-resurrection|access-date=2021-03-03|website=Council on Foreign Relations|language=en}}</ref>
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| ===Financing===
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| Al-Qaeda usually does not disburse funds for attacks, and very rarely makes wire transfers.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Eichenwald|first1=Kurt|author-link=Kurt Eichenwald|title=A Nation Challenged: The Money; Terror Money Hard to Block, Officials Find|work=The New York Times|date=December 10, 2001|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/10/world/a-nation-challenged-the-money-terror-money-hard-to-block-officials-find.html|access-date=May 4, 2011}}</ref> In the 1990s, financing came partly from the personal wealth of Osama bin Laden.<ref name="Forbes_May_5_2011">[https://www.forbes.com/2001/09/14/0914whoisobl.html Who is Bin Laden?]. Retrieved May 5, 2011</ref> Other sources of income included the [[heroin trade]] and donations from supporters in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and other Islamic [[Arab states of the Persian Gulf|Gulf states]].<ref name="Forbes_May_5_2011"/> A [[WikiLeaks]]-released 2009 internal US government cable stated that "terrorist funding emanating from Saudi Arabia remains a serious concern."<ref>Eric Lichtbau and Eric Schmitt [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/06/world/middleeast/06wikileaks-financing.html Cash Flow to Terrorists Evades U.S. Efforts] ''[[The New York Times]]'', December 5, 2010</ref>
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| Among the first pieces of evidence regarding Saudi Arabia's support for al-Qaeda was the so-called "[[The Golden Chain|Golden Chain]]", a list of early al-Qaeda funders seized during a 2002 raid in Sarajevo by Bosnian police.<ref name="history commons">{{cite web|url=http://www.historycommons.org/searchResults.jsp?searchtext=al-qaeda%20saudi%20arabia&events=on&entities=on&articles=on&topics=on&timelines=on&projects=on&titles=on&descriptions=on&dosearch=on&search=Go|title=History Commons|access-date=June 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805191322/http://www.historycommons.org/searchResults.jsp?searchtext=al-qaeda%20saudi%20arabia&events=on&entities=on&articles=on&topics=on&timelines=on&projects=on&titles=on&descriptions=on&dosearch=on&search=Go|archive-date=August 5, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> The hand-written list was validated by al-Qaeda defector Jamal al-Fadl, and included the names of both donors and beneficiaries.<ref name="history commons" /><ref name="auto">[https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/United_States_of_America_v._Usama_bin_Laden/Day_2_6_February_2001 United States of America v. Usama bin Laden]. Wikisource. Retrieved June 10, 2016.</ref> Osama bin-Laden's name appeared seven times among the beneficiaries, while 20 Saudi and Gulf-based businessmen and politicians were listed among the donors.<ref name="history commons" /> Notable donors included Adel Batterjee, and [[Wael Hamza Julaidan]]. Batterjee was designated as a terror financier by the US Department of the Treasury in 2004, and Julaidan is recognized as one of al-Qaeda's founders.<ref name="history commons" />
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| Documents seized during the 2002 Bosnia raid showed that al-Qaeda widely exploited charities to channel financial and material support to its operatives across the globe.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB104794563734573400|title=List of Early al Qaeda Donors Points to Saudi Elite, Charities|first1=Glenn R. |last1=Simpson|date=March 19, 2003|access-date=June 21, 2016|newspaper=Wall Street Journal}}</ref> Notably, this activity exploited the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO) and the Muslim World League (MWL). The IIRO had ties with al-Qaeda associates worldwide, including al-Qaeda's deputy Ayman al Zawahiri. Zawahiri's brother worked for the IIRO in Albania and had actively recruited on behalf of al-Qaeda.<ref name="steve emerson">Emerson, Steve (2006). ''Jihad Incorporated: A Guide to Militant Islam in the US''. Prometheus Books. p. 382.</ref> The MWL was openly identified by al-Qaeda's leader as one of the three charities al-Qaeda primarily relied upon for funding sources.<ref name="steve emerson" />
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| ====Allegations of Qatari support====
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| {{See also|Qatar and state-sponsored terrorism|2017 Qatar diplomatic crisis}}
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| Several Qatari citizens have been accused of funding al-Qaeda. This includes [[Abd Al-Rahman al-Nuaimi]], a Qatari citizen and a human-rights activist who founded the Swiss-based [[non-governmental organization]] (NGO) [[Alkarama]]. On December 18, 2013, the [[US Treasury]] designated Nuaimi as a terrorist for his activities supporting al-Qaeda.<ref name="treasury press">{{cite web|url=https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl2249.aspx|title=Treasury Designates Al-Qa'ida Supporters in Qatar and Yemen|access-date=June 21, 2016}}</ref> The US Treasury has said Nuaimi "has facilitated significant financial support to al-Qaeda in Iraq, and served as an interlocutor between al-Qaeda in [[Iraq]] and Qatar-based donors".<ref name="treasury press" />
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| Nuaimi was accused of overseeing a $2{{nbs}}million monthly transfer to al-Qaeda in Iraq as part of his role as [[mediation|mediator]] between Iraq-based al-Qaeda senior officers and Qatari citizens.<ref name="treasury press" /><ref name="fiscal times qatar">{{cite web|url=http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2015/12/29/How-Qatar-Funding-al-Qaeda-and-Why-Could-Help-US|title=How Qatar Is Funding al-Qaeda – and Why That Could Help the US|access-date=June 21, 2016}}</ref> Nuaimi allegedly entertained relationships with Abu-Khalid al-Suri, al-Qaeda's top envoy in Syria, who processed a $600,000 transfer to al-Qaeda in 2013.<ref name="treasury press" /><ref name="fiscal times qatar" /> Nuaimi is also known to be associated with Abd al-Wahhab Muhammad 'Abd al-Rahman al-Humayqani, a [[Yemen]]i politician and founding member of [[Alkarama]], who was listed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) by the US Treasury in 2013.<ref name="bin ki moon">{{cite web|url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/06/ban-ki-moon-shakes-hands-with-alleged-al-qaeda-emir.php|title=Ban Ki-Moon shakes hands with alleged al Qaeda emir|website=The Long War Journal|date=June 23, 2015|access-date=June 21, 2016}}</ref> The US authorities claimed that Humayqani exploited his role in Alkarama to fundraise on behalf of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).<ref name="treasury press" /><ref name="bin ki moon"/> A prominent figure in AQAP, Nuaimi was also reported to have facilitated the flow of funding to AQAP affiliates based in Yemen. Nuaimi was also accused of investing funds in the charity directed by Humayqani to ultimately fund AQAP.<ref name="treasury press" /> About ten months after being sanctioned by the US Treasury, Nuaimi was also restrained from doing business in the UK.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/11172244/Terrorist-paymaster-targeted-by-Britain.html|title=Terrorist paymaster targeted by Britain|access-date=June 21, 2016}}</ref>
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| Another Qatari citizen, Kalifa Mohammed Turki Subayi, was sanctioned by the US Treasury on June 5, 2008, for his activities as a "Gulf-based al-Qaeda financier". Subayi's name was added to the [[UN Security Council]]'s Sanctions List in 2008 on charges of providing financial and material support to al-Qaeda senior leadership.<ref name="fiscal times qatar"/><ref name="un press">{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/press/en/2015/sc11790.doc.htm|title=Security Council Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee Amends One Entry on Its Sanctions List – Meetings Coverage and Press Releases|access-date=June 21, 2016}}</ref> Subayi allegedly moved al-Qaeda recruits to South Asia-based training camps.<ref name="fiscal times qatar"/><ref name="un press" /> He also financially supported Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a Pakistani national and senior al-Qaeda officer who is believed to be the mastermind behind the September 11 attack according to the [[September 11 Commission]] report.<ref name="9-11commission.gov">{{cite web|url=http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report.pdf|title=The 9/11 Commission Report<!--bot generated title-->}}</ref>
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| Qataris provided support to al-Qaeda through the country's largest NGO, the [[Qatar Charity]]. Al-Qaeda defector al-Fadl, who was a former member of Qatar Charity, testified in court that Abdullah Mohammed Yusef, who served as Qatar Charity's director, was affiliated to al-Qaeda and simultaneously to the [[National Islamic Front]], a political group that gave al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden harbor in [[Sudan]] in the early 1990s.<ref name="auto" />
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| Legal proceedings from the trial ''United States vs. Enaam M. Arnaout'' revealed that [[Qatar]] Charity was cited by [[Bin Laden]] in 1993 as one of the charities used to channel financial support to al-Qaeda operatives overseas. The same documents also report Bin Laden's complaint that the failed assassination attempt of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had compromised the ability of al-Qaeda to exploit charities to support its operatives to the extent it was capable of before 1995.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}
| | Members of al-Qaeda have performed many acts of [[terrorism]]. Most of these have been done against the [[United States]] and Shias. Some of its most well-known attacks have been the [[September 11 attacks]], the bombings of U.S. [[Embassy|embassies]] in [[Kenya]] and [[Tanzania]] in 1998, and the attack on the U.S. Navy ship [[USS Cole]] in 2000. al-Qaeda has done suicide attacks and [[wikt:simultaneous|simultaneous]] (at the same time) [[bomb]]ings of different targets.<ref>{{cite book| last = Wright| first = Lawrence| title = The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11| url = https://archive.org/details/loomingtoweralqa00wrig| year = 2006| publisher = Alfred a Knopf Incorporated| isbn = 0-375-41486-X }}</ref> |
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| It is alleged{{who|date=January 2019}} that the Qatar Charity gave financial support to members of al-Qaeda in Chechnya. This accusation was publicly denied by Hamad bin Nasser al-Thani.<ref name="qatar star">{{cite web|url=http://www.qatardailystar.com/ipt-exclusive-qatars-insidious-influence-on-the-brookings-institution/|title=IPT Exclusive: Qatar's Insidious Influence on the Brookings Institution|publisher=Qatar Daily Star|access-date=June 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160515000653/http://www.qatardailystar.com/ipt-exclusive-qatars-insidious-influence-on-the-brookings-institution/|archive-date=May 15, 2016|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Qatar Charity is among the NGOs allegedly channelling funds to Ansar Dine in North Mali, according to [[French military intelligence]] reports from France's intervention in the country in early 2013.<ref name="qatar star" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://stopterrorfinance.org/blog/510634062-qatar-charity-pioneer-and-master-of-terror-finance|title=Qatar Charity, Pioneer and Master of Terror Finance|first1=CATF|last1=Reports|website=stopterrorfinance.org|access-date=June 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424155607/http://stopterrorfinance.org/blog/510634062-qatar-charity-pioneer-and-master-of-terror-finance|archive-date=April 24, 2016|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
| | Among al-Qaeda's goals is for other countries to stop influencing [[Muslim world|Muslim countries]] and for a new Islamic [[caliphate]] to be made. There have been reports that al-Qaeda believes that [[Christian]] and [[Jewish]] Islamophobia is trying to destroy Islam<ref>Fu'ad Husayn 'al-Zarqawi ... "The Second Generation of al-Qa’ida, Part Fourteen," ''al-Quds al-Arabi'', July 13, 2005</ref> and that the killing of bystanders and civilians is religiously justified in jihad. |
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| Qatar financed al-Qaeda's enterprises through al-Qaeda's former affiliate in Syria, Jabhat al-Nusra. The funding was primarily channeled through [[kidnapping]] for ransom.<ref name="funding al nusra">{{cite web|url=http://stopterrorfinance.org/blog/510652383-funding-al-nusra-through-ransom-qatar-and-the-myth-of-humanitarian-principle|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171009203031/http://stopterrorfinance.org/stories/510652383-funding-al-nusra-through-ransom-qatar-and-the-myth-of-humanitarian-principle|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 9, 2017|title=Funding Al Nusra Through Ransom: Qatar and the Myth of "Humanitarian Principle"|first1=CATF|last1=Reports|website=stopterrorfinance.org|access-date=June 6, 2017}}</ref> The Consortium Against Terrorist Finance (CATF) reported that the Gulf country has funded al-Nusra since 2013.<ref name="funding al nusra" /> In 2017, ''[[Asharq Al-Awsat]]'' estimated that Qatar had disbursed $25{{nbs}}million in support of al-Nusra through kidnapping for ransom.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aawsat.com/home/article/510121/%D8%B5%D9%81%D9%82%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B3%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%8A%D9%86-25-%D9%85%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%84%D9%80%C2%AB%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%B5%D8%B1%D8%A9%C2%BB-%D9%88%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%B4-%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%83-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%84|title=صفقة العسكريين: 25 مليون دولار لـ"النصرة"... وهامش تحرك في عرسال|website=الشرق الأوسط}}</ref> In addition, Qatar has launched fundraising campaigns on behalf of al-Nusra. Al-Nusra acknowledged a Qatar-sponsored campaign "as one of the preferred conduits for donations intended for the group".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/syrian-conflict-said-to-fuel-sectarian-tensions-in-persian-gulf/2013/12/18/e160ad82-6831-11e3-8b5b-a77187b716a3_story.html|title=Syrian conflict said to fuel sectarian tensions in Persian Gulf|access-date=June 21, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/08/analysis-qatar-still-negligent-on-terror-finance.php|title=Analysis: Qatar still negligent on terror finance – The Long War Journal|access-date=June 21, 2016}}</ref>
| | There have been guesses that there are 500–1,000 operatives in Afghanistan and around 5,000 worldwide. However, there is no confirmation of this. |
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| ==Strategy==
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| {{Update section|date=August 2016}}
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| In the disagreement over whether Al-Qaeda's objectives are religious or political, Mark Sedgwick describes Al-Qaeda's strategy as political in the immediate term but with ultimate aims that are religious.<ref name="SEDGWICK">{{cite journal |last1=SEDGWICK |first1=MARK |title=Al-Qaeda and the Nature of Religious Terrorism |journal=Terrorism and Political Violence |date=10 Aug 2010 |volume=16 |issue=4 |pages=795–814 |doi=10.1080/09546550590906098 |s2cid=143323639 }}</ref>
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| On March 11, 2005, ''[[Al-Quds Al-Arabi]]'' published extracts from [[Saif al-Adel]]'s document "Al Qaeda's Strategy to the Year 2020".<ref name=Atwan>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/secrethistoryofa0000atwa |url-access=registration |first1=Abdel Bari |last1=Atwan |title=The Secret History of Al Qaeda |page=[https://archive.org/details/secrethistoryofa0000atwa/page/221 221] |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=0-520-24974-7 |via=Internet Archive |date=March 11, 2005 |access-date=May 8, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jamestown.org/programs/gta/single/?tx_ttnewstt_news]=181&tx_ttnewsbackPid]=238&no_cache=1|title=single – The Jamestown Foundation|access-date=April 12, 2016}}{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> [[Abdel Bari Atwan]] summarizes this strategy as comprising five stages to rid the [[Ummah]] from all forms of oppression:
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| # Provoke the United States and the West into invading a Muslim country by staging a massive attack or string of attacks on US soil that results in massive civilian casualties.
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| # Incite local resistance to occupying forces.
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| # Expand the conflict to neighboring countries and engage the US and its allies in a long war of attrition.
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| # Convert al-Qaeda into an ideology and set of operating principles that can be loosely franchised in other countries without requiring direct command and control, and via these franchises incite attacks against the US and countries allied with the US until they withdraw from the conflict, as happened with the [[2004 Madrid train bombings]], but which did not have the same effect with the [[July 7, 2005 London bombings]].
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| # The US economy will finally collapse by the year 2020, under the strain of multiple engagements in numerous places. This will lead to a collapse in the worldwide economic system, and lead to global political instability. This will lead to a global jihad led by al-Qaeda, and a [[Wahhabi]] [[Caliphate]] will then be installed across the world.
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| Atwan noted that, while the plan is unrealistic, "it is sobering to consider that this virtually describes the [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|downfall of the Soviet Union]]."<ref name=Atwan/>
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| According to [[Fouad Hussein]], a Jordanian journalist and author who has spent time in prison with Al-Zarqawi, Al Qaeda's strategy consists of seven phases and is similar to the plan described in Al Qaeda's Strategy to the year 2020. These phases include:<ref>{{cite news|last1=Musharbash|first1=Yassir|title=The Future of Terrorism: What al-Qaida Really Wants|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/the-future-of-terrorism-what-al-qaida-really-wants-a-369448.html|access-date=January 15, 2015|work=Der Spiegel|date=August 12, 2005}}</ref>
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| # "The Awakening." This phase was supposed to last from 2001 to 2003. The goal of the phase is to provoke the United States to attack a Muslim country by executing an attack that kills many civilians on US soil.
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| # "Opening Eyes." This phase was supposed to last from 2003 to 2006. The goal of this phase was to recruit young men to the cause and to transform the al-Qaeda group into a movement. Iraq was supposed to become the center of all operations with financial and military support for bases in other states.
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| # "Arising and Standing up", was supposed to last from 2007 to 2010. In this phase, al-Qaeda wanted to execute additional attacks and focus their attention on Syria. Hussein believed other countries in the [[Arabian Peninsula]] were also in danger.
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| # Al-Qaeda expected a steady growth among their ranks and territories due to the declining power of the regimes in the Arabian Peninsula. The main focus of attack in this phase was supposed to be on oil suppliers and [[cyberterrorism]], targeting the US economy and military infrastructure.
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| # The declaration of an Islamic Caliphate, which was projected between 2013 and 2016. In this phase, al-Qaeda expected the resistance from Israel to be heavily reduced.
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| # The declaration of an "Islamic Army" and a "fight between believers and non-believers", also called "total confrontation".
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| # "Definitive Victory", projected to be completed by 2020.
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| According to the seven-phase strategy, the war is projected to last less than two years.
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| According to Charles Lister of the [[Middle East Institute]] and Katherine Zimmerman of the [[American Enterprise Institute]], the new model of al-Qaeda is to "socialize communities" and build a broad territorial base of operations with the support of local communities, also gaining income independent of the funding of sheiks.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-35967409 BBC] April 6, 2016</ref>
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| ==Name==
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| The English name of the organization is a simplified [[Romanization of Arabic|transliteration]] of the Arabic noun ''{{transl|ar|DIN|al-qāʿidah}}'' ({{wikt-lang|ar|القاعدة}}), which means "the foundation" or "the base". The initial ''al-'' is the Arabic [[definite article]] "the", hence "the base".<ref>Arabic Computer Dictionary: English-Arabic, Arabic-English By Ernest Kay, Multi-lingual International Publishers, 1986.</ref>
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| In Arabic, ''al-Qaeda'' has four syllables ({{IPA|/alˈqaː.ʕi.da/}}).<!--This is a phonemic transcription that differs somewhat from the transcription system described at [[Help:IPA for Arabic]].--> However, since two of the Arabic consonants in the name are not [[phone (phonetics)|phones]] found in the English language, the common naturalized [[English phonology|English pronunciations]] include {{IPAc-en|æ|l|ˈ|k|aɪ|d|ə}}, {{IPAc-en|æ|l|ˈ|k|eɪ|d|ə}} and {{IPAc-en|ˌ|æ|l|k|ɑː|ˈ|iː|d|ə}}. Al-Qaeda's name can also be [[transliteration|transliterated]] as ''al-Qaida'', ''al-Qa'ida'', or ''el-Qaida''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ibb7.ibb.gov/pronunciations/sounds/2930.ra |title=Listen to the U.S. pronunciation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051211020849/http://ibb7.ibb.gov/pronunciations/sounds/2930.ra |archive-date=December 11, 2005 |format=[[RealPlayer]]}}</ref>
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| Bin Laden explained the origin of the term in a videotaped interview with [[Al Jazeera]] journalist [[Tayseer Alouni]] in October 2001:
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| {{quote|The name 'al-Qaeda' was established a long time ago by mere chance. The late [[Abu Ubaidah al-Banshiri|Abu Ebeida El-Banashiri]] established the training camps for our ''mujahedeen'' against Russia's terrorism. We used to call the training camp al-Qaeda. The name stayed.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/south/02/05/binladen.transcript/index.html|title=Transcript of Bin Laden's October interview|publisher=CNN|date=February 5, 2002|access-date=October 22, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061206081331/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/south/02/05/binladen.transcript/index.html|archive-date=December 6, 2006|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>}}
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| It has been argued that two documents seized from the [[Sarajevo]] office of the [[Benevolence International Foundation]] prove the name was not simply adopted by the ''mujahideen'' movement and that a group called al-Qaeda was established in August 1988. Both of these documents contain minutes of meetings held to establish a new military group, and contain the term "al-Qaeda".<ref>{{Harvnb|Bergen|2006|p=75}}. Wright indirectly quotes one of the documents, based on an exhibit from the "Tareek Osama" document presented in <span class="plainlinks">[http://fl1.findlaw.com/news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/bif/usarnaout10603prof.pdf ''United States v. Enaam M. Arnaout''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203110416/http://fl1.findlaw.com/news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/bif/usarnaout10603prof.pdf |date=February 3, 2016 }}</span>.</ref>
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| Former British Foreign Secretary [[Robin Cook]] wrote that the word al-Qaeda should be translated as "the database", because it originally referred to the computer file of the thousands of ''mujahideen'' militants who were recruited and trained with CIA help to defeat the Russians.<ref>{{cite news|first1=Robin|last1=Cook|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/jul/08/july7.development|title=Robin Cook: The struggle against terrorism cannot be won by military means|work=The Guardian|location=UK|date=July 8, 2005|access-date=May 8, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514051125/http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/jul/08/july7.development|archive-date=May 14, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> In April 2002, the group assumed the name ''Qa'idat al-Jihad'' ({{lang|ar|قاعدة الجهاد}} ''{{transl|ar|DIN|qāʿidat al-jihād}}''), which means "the base of Jihad". According to [[Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies|Diaa Rashwan]], this was "apparently as a result of the merger of the overseas branch of Egypt's [[Egyptian Islamic Jihad|al-Jihad]], which was led by [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]], with the groups Bin Laden brought under his control after his return to Afghanistan in the mid-1990s."<ref>"[http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/619/op13.htm After Mombassa] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514233523/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/619/op13.htm |date=May 14, 2013 }}", ''[[Al-Ahram Weekly|Al-Ahram Weekly Online]]'', January 2–8, 2003 (Issue No. 619). Retrieved September 3, 2006.</ref>
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| ==Ideology==
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| {{See also|Qutbism}}
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| {{Islamism sidebar}}
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| [[File:Sayyid Qutb.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Sayyid Qutb]], the Egyptian Islamist who inspired al-Qaeda]]
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| The radical [[Islamism|Islamist]] movement developed during the [[Islamic revival]] and the rise of the [[Islamism|Islamist movement]] after the [[Iranian Revolution]] (1978-1979).
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| Some have argued that the writings of Islamic author and thinker [[Sayyid Qutb]] inspired the al-Qaeda organization.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wright|2006|p=332}}.</ref> In the 1950s and 1960s, Qutb preached that because of the lack of ''[[sharia]]'' law, the [[Muslim world]] was no longer [[Muslim]], and had reverted to the pre-Islamic ignorance known as ''[[jahiliyyah]]''. To restore Islam, Qutb argued that a vanguard of righteous Muslims was needed in order to establish "true [[Islamic state (government)|Islamic states]]", implement ''sharia'', and rid the Muslim world of any non-Muslim influences. In Qutb's view, the enemies of Islam included "[[Jews|world Jewry]]", which "plotted [[List of conspiracy theories#Antisemitism|conspiracies]]" and opposed Islam.<ref>{{Harvnb|Qutb|2003|pp=63, 69}}.</ref>
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| In the words of [[Mohammed Jamal Khalifa]], a close college friend of bin Laden: {{quote|Islam is different from any other [[religion]]; it's a way of life. We [Khalifa and bin Laden] were trying to understand what Islam has to say about how we eat, who we marry, how we talk. We read Sayyid Qutb. He was the one who most affected our generation.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wright|2006|p=79}}.</ref>}}
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| Qutb also influenced bin Laden's mentor, Ayman al-Zawahiri.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gemsofislamism.tripod.com/qutb_milest_influence_obl.html|title=How Did Sayyid Qutb Influence Osama bin Laden?|publisher=Gemsofislamism.tripod.com|access-date=March 22, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101017060150/http://gemsofislamism.tripod.com/qutb_milest_influence_obl.html|archive-date=October 17, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Zawahiri's uncle and maternal family patriarch, Mafouz Azzam, was Qutb's student, protégé, personal lawyer, and an executor of his estate. Azzam was one of the last people to see Qutb alive before his execution.<ref>Mafouz Azzam; cited in {{Harvnb|Wright|2006|p=36}}.</ref> Zawahiri paid homage to Qutb in his work ''Knights under the Prophet's Banner''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gemsofislamism.tripod.com/milestones_qutb.html#footnote_24|title=Sayyid Qutb's Milestones (footnote 24)|publisher=Gemsofislamism.tripod.com|access-date=March 22, 2010}}</ref>
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| Qutb argued that many Muslims were not true Muslims. Some Muslims, Qutb argued, were [[Apostasy in Islam|apostates]]. These alleged apostates included leaders of Muslim countries, since they failed to enforce ''sharia'' law.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/07spring/eikmeier.htm |title=Qutbism: An Ideology of Islamic-Fascism |first1=DALE C. |last1=EIKMEIER |work=Parameters |date=Spring 2007 |pages=85–98 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609120804/http://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/parameters/07spring/eikmeier.htm |archive-date=June 9, 2007}}</ref>
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| The [[Afghan Arabs|Afghan jihad]] against the pro-Soviet government further developed the [[Salafi jihadism|Salafist Jihadist]] movement which inspired Al-Qaeda.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kepel|first1=Gilles|title=Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam|url=https://archive.org/details/jihad00gill_0 |url-access=registration|date=2002|publisher=Harvard University Press.|ref=GKJTPI2002|isbn=9780674010901}}</ref>
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| ==Religious compatibility==
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| [[Abdel Bari Atwan]] wrote that:
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| {{quote|While the leadership's own theological platform is essentially Salafi, the organization's umbrella is sufficiently wide to encompass various schools of thought and political leanings. Al-Qaeda counts among its members and supporters people associated with [[Wahhabism]], [[Shafi'i]]sm, [[Maliki]]sm, and [[Hanafi]]sm. There are even some Al-Qaeda members whose beliefs and practices are directly at odds with Salafism, such as [[Mohammad Yunus Khalis|Yunis Khalis]], one of the leaders of the Afghan mujahedin. He was a mystic who visited the tombs of saints and sought their blessings{{snd}}practices inimical to bin Laden's Wahhabi-Salafi school of thought. The only exception to this pan-Islamic policy is [[Shia Islam|Shi'ism]]. Al-Qaeda seems implacably opposed to it, as it holds Shi'ism to be heresy. In Iraq it has openly declared war on the Badr Brigades, who have fully cooperated with the US, and now considers even Shi'i civilians to be legitimate targets for acts of violence.<ref name=AbdelBariAtwan>Abdel Bari Atwan. ''The Secret History of Al Qaeda'', p. 233. University of California Press, 2006. {{ISBN|0-520-24974-7}}</ref>}}
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| ===Attacks on civilians===
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| Following its 9/11 attack and in response to its condemnation by Islamic scholars, Al-Qaeda provided a justification for the killing of non-combatants/civilians, entitled, "A Statement from Qaidat al-Jihad Regarding the Mandates of the Heroes and the Legality of the Operations in New York and Washington". According to a couple of critics, Quintan Wiktorowicz and John Kaltner, it provides "ample theological justification for killing civilians in almost any imaginable situation."<ref name="Wiktorowicz-2003-86">{{cite journal |last1=Wiktorowicz |first1=Quintan |last2=Kaltner |first2=John |title=KILLING IN THE NAME OF ISLAM: AL-QAEDA'S JUSTIFICATION FOR SEPTEMBER 11 |journal=Middle East Policy |date=Summer 2003 |volume=X |issue=2 |pages=86|url=https://www.aclu.org/files/fbimappingfoia/20111110/ACLURM001177.pdf |access-date=12 August 2019}}</ref>
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| Among these justifications are that America is leading the west in waging a [[War against Islam conspiracy theory|War on Islam]] so that attacks on America are a defense of Islam and any treaties and agreements between Muslim majority states and Western countries that would be violated by attacks are null and void. According to the tract, several conditions allow for the killing of civilians including:
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| * retaliation for the American war on Islam which al-Qaeda alleges has targeted "Muslim women, children and elderly";
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| * when it is too difficult to distinguish between non-combatants and combatants when attacking an enemy "stronghold" (''hist'') and/or non-combatants remain in enemy territory, killing them is allowed;
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| * those who assist the enemy "in deed, word, mind" are eligible for killing, and this includes the general population in democratic countries because civilians can vote in elections that bring enemies of Islam to power;
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| * the necessity of killing in the war to protect Islam and Muslims;
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| * the prophet Muhammad, when asked whether the Muslim fighters could use the catapult against the village of [[Ta'if#7th century: Era of Muhammad|Taif]], replied affirmatively, even though the enemy fighters were mixed with a civilian population;
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| * if the women, children and other protected groups serve as human shields for the enemy;
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| * if the enemy has broken a treaty, killing of civilians is permitted.<ref name="Wiktorowicz-2003-86"/>
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| ==History== | | ==History== |
| ''[[The Guardian]]'' in 2009 described five distinct phases in the development of al-Qaeda: its beginnings in the late 1980s, a "wilderness" period in 1990–1996, its "heyday" in 1996–2001, a network period from 2001 to 2005, and a period of fragmentation from 2005 to 2009.<ref>{{Cite news|first1=Jason|last1=Burke|first2=Paddy|last2=Allen|name-list-style=amp|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2009/sep/10/al-qaida-five-ages-terror-attacks|title=The five ages of al-Qaida|work=The Guardian|location=UK|access-date=March 22, 2010|date=September 10, 2009}}</ref>
| | In June 2001, al-Qaeda and [[Egyptian Islamic Jihad]], which had been associated with each other for many years, merged into 'Qaeda al-Jihad'.<ref name="Wright">Lawrence Wright 2002. ''The New Yorker''. [http://www.lawrencewright.com/art-zawahiri.html The man behind Bin Laden] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110224023636/http://www.lawrencewright.com/art-zawahiri.html |date=2011-02-24 }}</ref> |
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| ===Jihad in Afghanistan===
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| {{Main|Soviet–Afghan War|Jihadism}}
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| [[File:Afghan Muja crossing from Saohol Sar pass in Durand border region of Pakistan, August 1985.png|thumb|[[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]-funded and [[Inter-Services Intelligence|ISI]]-trained Afghan [[mujahideen]] fighters crossing the [[Durand Line]] border to fight Soviet forces and the Soviet-backed [[Democratic Republic of Afghanistan|Afghan government]] in 1985]]
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| The origins of al-Qaeda can be traced to the [[Soviet–Afghan War|Soviet War in Afghanistan]] (December 1979{{snd}}February 1989).<ref name="AntiSoviet"/> The [[United States]] viewed the conflict in Afghanistan in terms of the [[Cold War]], with [[Marxist]]s on one side and the native Afghan ''mujahideen'' on the other. This view led to a [[CIA]] program called [[Operation Cyclone]], which channeled funds through Pakistan's [[Inter-Services Intelligence]] agency to the Afghan Mujahideen.<ref name="1986-1992-CIA-AND-BRITISH-RECRUIT-AND-TRAIN-MILITANTS-WORLDWIDE-TO-HELP-FIGHT-AFGHAN-WAR">{{cite web|title=1986–1992: CIA and British Recruit and Train Militants Worldwide to Help Fight Afghan War|url=http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a86operationcyclone|publisher=Cooperative Research History Commons|access-date=January 9, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130818210324/http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a86operationcyclone|archive-date=August 18, 2013}}</ref> The US government provided substantial financial support to the Afghan Islamic militants. Aid to [[Gulbuddin Hekmatyar]], an Afghan ''mujahideen'' leader and founder of the [[Hezb-e Islami]], amounted to more than $600{{nbs}}million. In addition to American aid, Hekmatyar was the recipient of Saudi aid.<ref>Bergen, Peter L., ''Holy war, Inc.: inside the secret world of Osama bin Laden'', New York: Free Press, 2001. pp. 68–x69</ref> In the early 1990s, after the US had withdrawn support, Hekmatyar "worked closely" with bin Laden.<ref>Bergen, Peter L., ''Holy war, Inc.: Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden'', New York: Free Press, 2001., pp. 70–71</ref>
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| At the same time, a growing number of Arab ''mujahideen'' joined the ''jihad'' against the [[Democratic Republic of Afghanistan|Afghan Marxist regime]], which was facilitated by international Muslim organizations, particularly the [[Maktab al-Khidamat]] (MAK).<ref name="MAKTAB-AL-KHIDAMAT-GLOBALSECURITY">{{cite web|title=Maktab al-Khidamat|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/profiles/maktab_al-khidamat.htm|date=January 11, 2006|access-date=February 11, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070214205625/http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/profiles/maktab_al-khidamat.htm|archive-date=February 14, 2007|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In 1984, MAK was established in [[Peshawar]], Pakistan, by bin Laden and [[Abdullah Yusuf Azzam]], a Palestinian Islamic scholar and member of the [[Muslim Brotherhood]]. MAK organized [[al-Qaeda safe house|guest houses]] in Peshawar, near the Afghan border, and gathered supplies for the construction of paramilitary training camps to prepare foreign recruits for the Afghan war front. MAK was funded by the Saudi government as well as by individual Muslims including Saudi businessmen.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wright|2006}}.</ref>{{Page needed|date=August 2010}} Bin Laden also became a major financier of the ''mujahideen'', spending his own money and using his connections to influence public opinion about the war.<ref>{{Harvnb|Gunaratna|2002|p=19}}. Quotes taken from {{Harvnb|Riedel|2008|p=42}} and {{Harvnb|Wright|2006|p=103}}.</ref>
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| [[File:Omar Abdel-Rahman.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Omar Abdel-Rahman]]]]
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| From 1986, MAK began to set up a network of recruiting offices in the US, the hub of which was the [[Al Kifah Refugee Center]] at the Farouq Mosque on [[Brooklyn]]'s Atlantic Avenue. Among notable figures at the Brooklyn center were "double agent" [[Ali Mohamed]], whom FBI special agent Jack Cloonan called "bin Laden's first trainer",<ref>[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline//////torture/interviews/cloonan.html Cloonan ''Frontline'' interview], PBS, July 13, 2005.</ref> and "Blind Sheikh" [[Omar Abdel-Rahman]], a leading recruiter of ''mujahideen'' for Afghanistan. Azzam and bin Laden began to establish camps in Afghanistan in 1987.<ref>{{Harvnb|Sageman|2004|p=35}}.</ref>
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| MAK and foreign ''mujahideen'' volunteers, or "Afghan Arabs", did not play a major role in the war. While over 250,000 Afghan ''mujahideen'' fought the Soviets and [[Democratic Republic of Afghanistan|the communist Afghan government]], it is estimated that there were never more than two thousand foreign ''mujahideen'' on the field at any one time.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wright|2006|p=137}}.</ref> Nonetheless, foreign ''mujahideen'' volunteers came from 43 countries, and the total number who participated in the Afghan movement between 1982 and 1992 is reported to have been 35,000.<ref name="THE-WAR-ON-TERROR-AND-THE-POLITICS-OF-VIOLENCE-IN-PAKISTAN">{{cite web
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| |title=The War on Terror and the Politics of Violence in Pakistan|url=http://www.jamestown.org/news_details.php?news_id=54|date=July 2, 2004|publisher=[[The Jamestown Foundation]]|access-date=January 9, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061208102951/http://www.jamestown.org/news_details.php?news_id=54|archive-date=December 8, 2006}}</ref> Bin Laden played a central role in organizing training camps for the foreign Muslim volunteers.<ref>"[https://www.forbes.com/2001/09/14/0914whoisobl.html Who Is Osama Bin Laden?]". ''Forbes''. September 14, 2001.</ref><ref>"[https://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/jan/17/yemen.islam Frankenstein the CIA created]". January 17, 1999. ''The Guardian''.</ref>
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| The Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989. [[Mohammad Najibullah]]'s Communist Afghan government lasted for three more years, before it was overrun by elements of the ''mujahideen''.
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| ===Expanding operations===
| | :"...the members of Islamic Jihad and its guiding figure [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]] have provided the backbone of [al-Quaeda's] leadership. According to officials in the C.I.A. and the F.B.I., Zawahiri has been responsible for much of the planning of the terrorist operations against the United States".<ref name=Wright/> |
| Toward the end of the [[Red Army|Soviet military]] mission in Afghanistan, some foreign ''mujahideen'' wanted to expand their operations to include Islamist struggles in other parts of the world, such as Palestine and [[Kashmir]]. A number of overlapping and interrelated organizations were formed, to further those aspirations. One of these was the organization that would eventually be called al-Qaeda.
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| Research suggests that al-Qaeda was formed on August 11, 1988, when a meeting in Afghanistan between leaders of [[Egyptian Islamic Jihad]], [[Abdullah Yusuf Azzam|Abdullah Azzam]], and bin Laden took place.<ref>Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, Chapter on Terrorist Financing, [https://www.9-11commission.gov/staff_statements/911_TerrFin_Ch6.pdf 9/11 Commission Report] p. 104</ref> An agreement was reached to link bin Laden's money with the expertise of the Islamic Jihad organization and take up the jihadist cause elsewhere after the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan.<ref name="RebellionWright">{{Harvnb|Wright|2008}}.</ref>
| | ===Death of Osama Bin Laden Laden and current leadership=== |
| | Egyptian [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]] is the highest-ranking surviving member of al-Qaeda's leadership after [[Osama bin Laden]] was killed on May 2, 2011. |
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| Notes indicate al-Qaeda was a formal group by August 20, 1988. A list of requirements for membership itemized the following: listening ability, good manners, obedience, and making a pledge (''[[Bay'at|bayat]]'' ) to follow one's superiors.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wright|2006|pp=133–34}}.</ref> In his memoir, bin Laden's former bodyguard, [[Nasser al-Bahri]], gives the only publicly available description of the ritual of giving ''bayat'' when he swore his allegiance to the al-Qaeda chief.<ref>Al-Bahri, Nasser, ''Guarding bin Laden: My Life in al-Qaeda''. p. 123. Thin Man Press. London. {{ISBN|9780956247360}}</ref> According to Wright, the group's real name was not used in public pronouncements because "its existence was still a closely held secret."<ref>{{Harvnb|Wright|2006|p=260}}.</ref>
| | ===Death of Abu Yahya al-Libi=== |
| | | Senior al-Qaeda leader [[Abu Yahya al-Libi]] was killed in a [[Unmanned aerial vehicle|drone]] strike on June 4, 2012.<ref name="Libi">Al-Qaeda commander Abu Yahya al-Libi killed - US officials. ''BBC News Asia'' [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18334377 Al-Qaeda commander Abu Yahya al-Libi killed - US officials - BBC News]</ref> He ranked second to Ayman al-Zawahiri at the time. The strike was carried out in the northwest tribal area of [[Waziristan]]. The [[Pakistan]] Government has protested to the U.S. about the strike.<ref name=Libi/> |
| After Azzam was assassinated in 1989 and MAK broke up, significant numbers of MAK followers joined bin Laden's new organization.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}
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| In November 1989, [[Ali Mohamed]], a former special forces sergeant stationed at [[Fort Bragg]], North Carolina, left military service and moved to California. He traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan and became "deeply involved with bin Laden's plans."<ref>{{Harvnb|Wright|2006|p=181}}.</ref> In 1991, Ali Mohammed is said to have helped orchestrate bin Laden's relocation to Sudan.<ref>{{cite web|title=Osama bin Laden: The Past|url=http://www.iacsp.com/itobli3.html|access-date=January 12, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218211532/http://www.iacsp.com/itobli3.html|archive-date=February 18, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref>
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| ===Gulf War and the start of US enmity===
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| {{Main|Gulf War}}
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| Following the Soviet Union's withdrawal from Afghanistan in February 1989, bin Laden returned to Saudi Arabia. The [[Iraqi invasion of Kuwait]] in August 1990 had put the Kingdom and its ruling [[House of Saud]] at risk. The world's most valuable oil fields were within striking distance of Iraqi forces in Kuwait, and Saddam's call to pan-Arab/Islamism could potentially rally internal dissent.
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| In the face of a seemingly massive Iraqi military presence, Saudi Arabia's own forces were outnumbered. Bin Laden offered the services of his ''mujahideen'' to [[Fahd of Saudi Arabia|King Fahd]] to protect Saudi Arabia from the Iraqi army. The Saudi monarch refused bin Laden's offer, opting instead to allow US and allied forces to deploy troops into Saudi territory.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Jehl|first1=Douglas|title=A Nation Challenged: Holy war lured Saudis as rulers looked away|work=The New York Times|date=December 27, 2001|pages=A1, B4|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/27/world/a-nation-challenged-saudi-arabia-holy-war-lured-saudis-as-rulers-looked-away.html|access-date=September 5, 2009}}</ref>
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| The deployment angered bin Laden, as he believed the presence of foreign troops in the "land of the two mosques" ([[Mecca]] and [[Medina]]) profaned sacred soil. After speaking publicly against the Saudi government for harboring American troops, he was banished and forced to live in exile in Sudan.
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| ===Sudan===
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| From around 1992 to 1996, al-Qaeda and bin Laden based themselves in Sudan at the invitation of Islamist theoretician [[Hassan al-Turabi]]. The move followed an Islamist coup d'état in Sudan, led by Colonel [[Omar al-Bashir]], who professed a commitment to reordering Muslim political values. During this time, bin Laden assisted the Sudanese government, bought or set up various business enterprises, and established training camps.
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| A key turning point for bin Laden occurred in 1993 when Saudi Arabia gave support for the [[Oslo Accords]], which set a path for peace between Israel and [[Palestinians]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Riedel|2008|p=52}}.</ref> Due to bin Laden's continuous verbal assault on King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, Fahd sent an emissary to Sudan on March 5, 1994 demanding bin Laden's passport. Bin Laden's Saudi citizenship was also revoked. His family was persuaded to cut off his stipend, $7{{nbs}}million a year, and his Saudi assets were frozen.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wright|2006|p=195}}.</ref><ref name="OSAMA-BIN-LADEN-A-CHRONOLOGY-OF-HIS-POLITICAL-LIFE">{{cite web|title=Osama bin Laden: A Chronology of His Political Life|publisher=[[PBS]]|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline///shows/binladen/etc/cron.html|access-date=January 12, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061205100703/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/etc/cron.html|archive-date=December 5, 2006|url-status=live}}</ref> His family publicly disowned him. There is controversy as to what extent bin Laden continued to garner support from members afterwards.<ref name="CONTEXT-OF-SHORTLLY-AFTER-APRIL-1994">{{cite web|title=Context of 'Shortly After April 1994'|url=http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a94familydisown|publisher=Cooperative Research History Commons|access-date=January 12, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130819013249/http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a94familydisown |archive-date=August 19, 2013}}</ref>
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| In 1993, a young schoolgirl was killed in an unsuccessful attempt on the life of the Egyptian prime minister, [[Atef Sedki]]. Egyptian public opinion turned against Islamist bombings, and the police arrested 280 of al-Jihad's members and executed 6.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wright|2006|p=186}}.</ref> In June 1995, an [[Attempted assassination of President Hosni Mubarak|attempt to assassinate Egyptian president Mubarak]] led to the expulsion of [[Egyptian Islamic Jihad]] (EIJ), and in May 1996, of bin Laden from Sudan.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}
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| According to [[Pakistani-American]] businessman [[Mansoor Ijaz]], the Sudanese government offered the [[Clinton Administration]] numerous opportunities to arrest bin Laden. Ijaz's claims appeared in numerous [[op-ed]] pieces, including one in the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://articles.latimes.com/2001/dec/05/opinion/oe-ijaz05|title=Clinton Let Bin Laden Slip Away and Metastasize|work=Los Angeles Times |date=December 5, 2001|access-date=March 22, 2010|first1=Mansoor|last1=Ijaz}}</ref> and one in ''[[The Washington Post]]'' co-written with former Ambassador to Sudan [[Timothy M. Carney]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/2002/06/30/intelligence-failure-lets-go-back-to-sudan/1b8e47a7-a603-4657-aef9-ffb4c4b83276/ |title=Intelligence Failure? Let's Go Back to Sudan |last1=Carney|first1=Timothy |first2=Mansoor |last2=Ijaz |date=June 30, 2002 |work=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=March 13, 2016}}</ref> Similar allegations have been made by ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' contributing editor David Rose,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2002/01/osama200201?currentPage=1|title=The Osama Files|last1=Rose|first1=David|date=January 2002|work=Vanity Fair|access-date=December 1, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205155110/http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2002/01/osama200201?currentPage=1|archive-date=December 5, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Richard Miniter]], author of ''Losing bin Laden'', in a November 2003 interview with ''[[World (magazine)|World]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.worldmag.com/articles/8206|title=Clinton did not have the will to respond|last1=Belz|first1=Mindy|date=November 1, 2003|work=[[World (magazine)|World]]|access-date=December 1, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206014541/http://www.worldmag.com/articles/8206|archive-date=December 6, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref>
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| Several sources dispute Ijaz's claim, including the [[9/11 Commission]], which concluded in part: {{quote|Sudan's minister of defense, Fatih Erwa, has claimed that Sudan offered to hand Bin Ladin over to the US. The Commission has found no credible evidence that this was so. Ambassador Carney had instructions only to push the Sudanese to expel Bin Ladin. Ambassador Carney had no legal basis to ask for more from the Sudanese since, at the time, there was no indictment out-standing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report_Ch4.htm|title=National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States|publisher=Govinfo.library.unt.edu|access-date=March 22, 2010}}</ref>}}
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| ===Refuge in Afghanistan===
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| {{Main|Taliban's rise to power|Afghan training camp}}
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| After the fall of the Afghan communist regime in 1992, Afghanistan was effectively ungoverned for four years and plagued by constant infighting between various ''mujahideen'' groups.{{Citation needed|date=May 2015}} This situation allowed the Taliban to organize. The Taliban also garnered support from graduates of Islamic schools, which are called ''madrassa''. According to [[Ahmed Rashid]], five leaders of the Taliban were graduates of [[Darul Uloom Haqqania]], a madrassa in the small town of Akora Khattak.<ref name="Harvnb|Rashid|2002">{{Harvnb|Rashid|2002}}.</ref> The town is situated near Peshawar in Pakistan, but the school is largely attended by [[Afghan refugees]].<ref name="Harvnb|Rashid|2002" /> This institution reflected [[Salafi]] beliefs in its teachings, and much of its funding came from private donations from wealthy Arabs. Four of the Taliban's leaders attended a similarly funded and influenced madrassa in Kandahar. Bin Laden's contacts were laundering donations to these schools, and Islamic banks were used to transfer money to an "array" of charities which served as front groups for al-Qaeda.<ref>{{Harvnb|Napoleoni|2003|pp=121–23}}; {{Harvnb|Akacem|2005}} "Napoleoni does a decent job of covering al-Qaida and presents some numbers and estimates that are of value to terrorism scholars."</ref>
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| Many of the ''mujahideen'' who later joined the Taliban fought alongside Afghan warlord [[Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi]]'s Harkat i Inqilabi group at the time of the Russian invasion. This group also enjoyed the loyalty of most Afghan Arab fighters.
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| The continuing lawlessness enabled the growing and well-disciplined Taliban to expand their control over territory in Afghanistan, and it came to establish an enclave which it called the [[Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan]]. In 1994, it captured the regional center of Kandahar, and after making rapid territorial gains thereafter, the Taliban captured the capital city [[Kabul]] in September 1996.
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| In 1996, Taliban-controlled Afghanistan provided a perfect staging ground for al-Qaeda.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kronstadt|Katzman|2008}}.</ref> While not officially working together, Al-Qaeda enjoyed the Taliban's protection and supported the regime in such a strong symbiotic relationship that many Western observers dubbed the Taliban's Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan as, "the world's first terrorist-sponsored state."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cna.org/cna_files/pdf/DIM-2017-U-016117-2Rev.pdf|title=Al-Qaeda Core: A Case Study, p. 11|website=cna.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010011216/https://www.cna.org/cna_files/pdf/DIM-2017-U-016117-2Rev.pdf|archive-date=2018-10-10|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, at this time, only Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.
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| In response to the [[1998 United States embassy bombings]], an al-Qaeda base in [[Khost Province]] was attacked by the United States during [[Operation Infinite Reach]].
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| While in Afghanistan, the Taliban government tasked al-Qaeda with the training of [[055 Brigade|Brigade 055]], an elite element of the Taliban's army. The Brigade mostly consisted of foreign fighters, veterans from the Soviet Invasion, and adherents to the ideology of the mujahideen. In November 2001, as [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|Operation Enduring Freedom]] had toppled the Taliban government, many Brigade 055 fighters were captured or killed, and those who survived were thought to have escaped into Pakistan along with bin Laden.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101011105-181591,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011103091516/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101011105-181591,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 3, 2001|work=Time|first1=Daniel|last1=Eisenberg|title=Secrets of Brigade 055|date=October 28, 2001}}</ref>
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| By the end of 2008, some sources reported that the Taliban had severed any remaining ties with al-Qaeda,<ref>{{Cite news|author=Robertson, Nic|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/10/06/afghan.saudi.talks/?iref=mpstoryview|title=Sources: Taliban split with al Qaeda, seek peace|publisher=CNN|access-date=March 22, 2010}}</ref> however, there is reason to doubt this.<ref>Roggio, Bill [http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/10/taliban_have_not_spl.php Taliban have not split from al Qaeda: sources] October 7, 2008 ''The Long War Journal''</ref> According to senior US military intelligence officials, there were fewer than 100 members of al-Qaeda remaining in Afghanistan in 2009.<ref>Partlow, Joshua. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/10/AR2009111019644.html In Afghanistan, Taliban surpasses al-Qaeda"] November 11, 2009</ref>
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| Al Qaeda chief, Asim Omar was killed in Afghanistan's Musa Qala district after a joint US–Afghanistan commando airstrike on September 23, Afghan's National Directorate of Security (NDS) confirmed in October 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.militarytimes.com/newsletters/daily-news-roundup/2019/10/08/major-al-qaida-leader-killed-in-joint-us-afghan-raid/|title=Major al-Qaida leader killed in joint US-Afghan raid|last1=Snow|first1=Shawn|date=2019-10-08|website=Military Times|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-13}}</ref>
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| In a report released May 27, 2020, the United Nations' Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team stated that the Taliban-Al Qaeda relations remain strong to this day and additionally, Al Qaeda itself has admitted that it operates inside Afghanistan.<ref>{{cite web|title=Eleventh report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant to resolution 2501 (2019) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to the peace, stability and security of Afghanistan|work= United Nations Security Council|date= May 27, 2020|access-date=January 16, 2021|url= https://www.undocs.org/S/2020/415}}</ref>
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| On July 26, 2020, a [[United Nations]] report stated that the Al Qaeda group is still active in twelve provinces in Afghanistan and its leader al-Zawahiri is still based in the country.<ref name="https://www.daijiworld.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay.aspx?newsID=734350|title=Al Qaeda active in 12 Afghan provinces: UN|publisher=daijiworld.com|website=daijiworld.com|date=July 26, 2020|access-date=July 26, 2020}}</ref> and that the UN Monitoring Team estimated that the total number of Al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan were "between 400 and 600".<ref name="https://www.daijiworld.com"/>
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| ===Call for global Salafi jihadism===
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| {{Expand section|date=September 2009}}
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| In 1994, the Salafi groups waging [[Salafi jihadism]] in Bosnia entered into decline, and groups such as the [[Egyptian Islamic Jihad]] began to drift away from the Salafi cause in Europe. Al-Qaeda stepped in and assumed control of around 80% of [[non-state armed groups|non-state armed]] [[Clandestine cell system|cells]] in Bosnia in late 1995. At the same time, al-Qaeda ideologues instructed the network's recruiters to look for ''[[Jihadi international]]'' Muslims who believed that extremist-''jihad'' must be fought on a global level. Al-Qaeda also sought to open the "offensive phase" of the global Salafi ''jihad''.<ref>{{Harvnb|Sageman|2004|pp=48, 51}}.</ref> Bosnian Islamists in 2006 called for "solidarity with Islamic causes around the world", supporting the insurgents in Kashmir and Iraq as well as the groups fighting for a Palestinian state.<ref>{{Harvnb|Trofimov|2006|p=282}}.</ref>
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| ===Fatwas===
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| In 1996, al-Qaeda announced its ''jihad'' to expel foreign troops and interests from what they considered Islamic lands. Bin Laden issued a ''fatwa'',<ref>{{Cite news|title=Bin Laden's Fatwa|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/terrorism/international/fatwa_1996.html|publisher=[[Al-Quds Al-Arabi|Al Quds Al Arabi]]|date=August 1996|access-date=January 9, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070108175653/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/terrorism/international/fatwa_1996.html|archive-date=January 8, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> which amounted to a public declaration of war against the US and its allies, and began to refocus al-Qaeda's resources on large-scale, propagandist strikes.
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| On February 23, 1998, bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, a leader of Egyptian Islamic Jihad, along with three other Islamist leaders, co-signed and issued a ''fatwa'' calling on Muslims to kill Americans and their allies.<ref>Summary taken from bin Laden's May 26, 1998, interview with American journalist [[John Miller (journalist)|John Miller]]. Most recently broadcast in the documentary ''Age of Terror'', part 4, with translations checked by Barry Purkis (archive researcher).</ref> Under the banner of the World Islamic Front for Combat Against the Jews and Crusaders, they declared:
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| {{quote|[T]he ruling to kill the Americans and their allies{{snd}}civilians and military{{snd}}is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it, in order to liberate the al-Aqsa Mosque [in Jerusalem] and the holy mosque [in Mecca] from their grip, and in order for their armies to move out of all the lands of Islam, defeated and unable to threaten any Muslim. This is in accordance with the words of Almighty Allah, 'and fight the pagans all together as they fight you all together [and] fight them until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah.'<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ict.org.il/articles/fatwah.htm|title=Text of Fatwah Urging Jihad Against Americans|access-date=May 15, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060422210853/http://www.ict.org.il/articles/fatwah.htm|archive-date=April 22, 2006}}</ref>}}
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| Neither bin Laden nor al-Zawahiri possessed the traditional Islamic scholarly qualifications to issue a ''fatwa''. However, they rejected the authority of the contemporary ''[[ulema]]'' (which they saw as the paid servants of ''[[jahiliyya]]'' rulers), and took it upon themselves.<ref>{{Harvnb|Benjamin|Simon|2002|p=117}}. "By issuing fatwas, bin Laden and his followers are acting out a kind of self-appointment as alim: they are asserting their rights as interpreters of Islamic law."</ref>{{Unreliable source?|reason=questionable statement as at least one of the other signers of the fatwa may have indeed been able to issue such an edict; bin Laden and al-Zawahiri were co-signers|date=May 2009}}
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| ===Iraq===
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| {{Main|Al-Qaeda in Iraq}}
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| Al-Qaeda has launched attacks against the Iraqi [[Shia]] majority in an attempt to incite [[sectarian violence]].<ref>[http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0320/p09s01-coop.html Al Qaeda's hand in tipping Iraq toward civil war], ''[[The Christian Science Monitor]]''/''[[Al-Quds Al-Arabi]]'', March 20, 2006</ref> Al-Zarqawi purportedly declared an all-out war on Shiites<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/09/15/africa/web.0915iraq.php |title=Another wave of bombings hit Iraq |agency=Associated Press |work=[[International Herald Tribune]] |date=September 15, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212174453/http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/09/15/africa/web.0915iraq.php |archive-date=February 12, 2009}}</ref> while claiming responsibility for Shiite mosque bombings.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/09/16/news/iraq.php |title=20 die as insurgents in Iraq target Shiites |work=[[International Herald Tribune]] |date=September 17, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212175616/http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/09/16/news/iraq.php |archive-date=February 12, 2009}}</ref> The same month, a statement claiming to be from Al-Qaeda in Iraq was rejected as a "fake".<ref>"[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4339912.stm Al-Qaeda disowns 'fake letter']", [[CNN]], October 13, 2005</ref> In a December 2007 video, al-Zawahiri defended the Islamic State in Iraq, but distanced himself from the attacks against civilians, which he deemed to be perpetrated by "hypocrites and traitors existing among the ranks".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=1.0.1678520501|title=British 'fleeing' claims al-Qaeda|publisher=Adnkronos.com|date=April 7, 2003|access-date=May 8, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110512042036/http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=1.0.1678520501|archive-date=May 12, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>
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| US and Iraqi officials accused Al-Qaeda in Iraq of trying to slide Iraq into a full-scale civil war between Iraq's Shiite population and Sunni Arabs. This was done through an orchestrated campaign of civilian massacres and a number of provocative attacks against high-profile religious targets.<ref name="Insurgents">{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200705/s1911670.htm |title=Al Qaeda leader in Iraq 'killed by insurgents' |work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] |date=May 1, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110512042016/http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200705/s1911670.htm |archive-date=May 12, 2011}}</ref> With attacks including the 2003 [[Imam Ali Mosque]] bombing, the 2004 Day of Ashura and Karbala and Najaf bombings, the 2006 [[2006 al-Askari Mosque bombing|first al-Askari Mosque bombing]] in [[Samarra]], the deadly single-day [[November 23, 2006 Sadr City bombings|series of bombings in which at least 215 people were killed]] in Baghdad's Shiite district of [[Sadr City]], and the [[2007 al-Askari Mosque bombing|second al-Askari bombing]] in 2007, Al-Qaeda in Iraq provoked Shiite militias to unleash a wave of retaliatory attacks, resulting in [[death squad]]-style killings and further sectarian violence which escalated in 2006.<ref name="Threat">DeYoung, Karen/Pincus, Walter. "[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/17/AR2007031701373.html Al-Qaeda in Iraq May Not Be Threat Here]", ''[[The Washington Post]]'', March 18, 2007</ref> In 2008, sectarian bombings blamed on al-Qaeda in Iraq killed [[2008 Karbala bombing|at least 42 people]] at the [[Imam Husayn Shrine]] in Karbala in March, and [[17 June 2008 Baghdad bombing|at least 51 people]] at a bus stop in Baghdad in June.
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| In February 2014, after a prolonged dispute with al-Qaeda in Iraq's successor organisation, the [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]] (ISIS), al-Qaeda publicly announced it was cutting all ties with the group, reportedly for its brutality and "notorious intractability".<ref name="AlQaedaTiesEnd">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/al-qaeda-disavows-any-ties-with-radical-islamist-isis-group-in-syria-iraq/2014/02/03/2c9afc3a-8cef-11e3-98ab-fe5228217bd1_story.html|title=Al-Qaeda disavows any ties with radical Islamist ISIS group in Syria, Iraq|work=The Washington Post|first1=Liz|last1=Sly|date=February 3, 2014|access-date=August 6, 2014|author-link=Liz Sly}}</ref>
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| ===Somalia and Yemen===
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| {{Main|Al-Shabaab (militant group)|al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula}}
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| [[File:Somali Civil War (2009-present).svg|thumb|Current military situation in Somalia:<br>{{legend|#b4b2ae|Controlled by [[Al-Shabaab (militant group)|Al-Shabaab]] and [[Hizbul Islam|Allies]]}} ]]
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| [[File:Yemeni Civil War.svg|thumb|Current military situation in Yemen:<br>{{legend|#ffffff|Controlled by [[al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula|al-Qaeda]] and [[Ansar al-Sharia (Yemen)|Ansar al-Sharia]]}}]]
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| In Somalia, al-Qaeda agents had been collaborating closely with its Somali wing, which was created from the al-Shabaab group. In February 2012, al-Shabaab officially joined al-Qaeda, declaring loyalty in a video.<ref name="Join AQ">{{cite news|title=Somalia's al-Shabab join al-Qaeda|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16979440|publisher=BBC|date=February 10, 2012}}</ref> Somalian al-Qaeda recruited children for suicide-bomber training and recruited young people to participate in militant actions against Americans.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/09/world/africa/somalia-shabaab-qaeda/|title=Al-Shabaab joining al Qaeda, monitor group says|date=February 9, 2012|access-date=February 9, 2012|publisher=CNN }}</ref>
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| The percentage of attacks in the [[First World]] originating from the Afghanistan–Pakistan ([[AfPak]]) border declined starting in 2007, as al-Qaeda shifted to Somalia and Yemen.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/8009819/Anwar-al-Awlaki-the-new-Osama-bin-Laden.html|location=London|work=The Daily Telegraph|first1=Philip|last1=Johnston|title=Anwar al Awlaki: the new Osama bin Laden?|date=September 17, 2010}}</ref> While al-Qaeda leaders were hiding in the tribal areas along the AfPak border, middle-tier leaders heightened activity in Somalia and Yemen.
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| In January 2009, al-Qaeda's division in Saudi Arabia merged with its Yemeni wing to form [[al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula]] (AQAP).<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8437724.stm|title=NEWS.BBC.co.uk|publisher=BBC|date=January 3, 2010|access-date=March 22, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323005536/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8437724.stm|archive-date=March 23, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> Centered in Yemen, the group takes advantage of the country's poor economy, demography and domestic security. In August 2009, the group made an assassination attempt against a member of the Saudi royal family. President Obama asked [[Ali Abdullah Saleh]] to ensure closer cooperation with the US in the struggle against the growing activity of al-Qaeda in Yemen, and promised to send additional aid. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan drew US attention from Somalia and Yemen.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.pravda.ru/hotspots/terror/109278-0/|title=Al-Qaeda Slowly Makes Its Way to Somalia and Yemen|date=September 15, 2009|access-date=September 23, 2009|publisher=Pravda.ru}}</ref> In December 2011, US Secretary of Defense [[Leon Panetta]] said the US operations against al-Qaeda "are now concentrating on key groups in Yemen, Somalia and North Africa."<ref name="Panetta">{{cite web |url=http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/13/9410244-hunt-for-terrorists-shifts-to-dangerous-north-africa-panetta-says |title=Hunt for terrorists shifts to 'dangerous' North Africa, Panetta says |work=NBC News |access-date=August 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120508233801/http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/13/9410244-hunt-for-terrorists-shifts-to-dangerous-north-africa-panetta-says |archive-date=May 8, 2012}}</ref> Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for the 2009 bombing attack on [[Northwest Airlines Flight 253]] by [[Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/12/28/cbsnews_investigates/main6031295.shtml|title=Al Qaeda: We Planned Flight 253 Bombing Terrorist Group Says It Was In Retaliation for U.S. Operation in Yemen; Obama Orders Reviews of Watchlist and Air Safety|work=CBS News|date=December 28, 2009|access-date=March 22, 2010}}</ref> The AQAP declared the Al-Qaeda Emirate in Yemen on March 31, 2011, after capturing the most of the [[Abyan Governorate]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/al-qaeda-declares-southern-yemeni-province-an-islamic-emirate-2011-3|title=AQAP: Abyan province an "Islamic Emirate." |first1=Grace|last1=Wyler|date=March 31, 2011|work=Business Insider|access-date=April 12, 2016}}</ref>
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| As the [[Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen|Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen]] escalated in July 2015, fifty civilians had been killed and twenty million needed aid.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/07/jihadis-likely-winners-of-saudi-arabias-futile-war-on-yemens-houthi-rebels |title=Jihadis likely winners of Saudi Arabia's futile war on Yemen's Houthi rebels |date=July 7, 2015|work=The Guardian}}</ref> In February 2016, al-Qaeda forces and [[Saudi Arabia]]n-led coalition forces were both seen fighting Houthi rebels in the same battle.<ref name=bbc-20160222>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-35630194 |title=Yemen conflict: Al-Qaeda joins coalition battle for Taiz |publisher=BBC |date=February 22, 2016 }}</ref> In August 2018, ''Al Jazeera'' reported that "A military coalition battling Houthi rebels secured secret deals with al-Qaeda in Yemen and recruited hundreds of the group's fighters.{{nbs}}... Key figures in the deal-making said the United States was aware of the arrangements and held off on drone attacks against the armed group, which was created by Osama bin Laden in 1988."<ref name="al-Qaeda"/>
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| ===United States operations===
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| In December 1998, the Director of the CIA [[Counterterrorism Center]] reported to President [[Bill Clinton]] that al-Qaeda was preparing to launch attacks in the United States, and the group was training personnel to hijack aircraft.<ref>{{cite web
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| |title=Bin Laden Preparing to Hijack US Aircraft and Other Attacks|date=December 4, 1998|access-date=April 18, 2010|publisher=[[Director of Central Intelligence]]|url=http://www.foia.cia.gov/docs/DOC_0001110635/0001110635_0001.gif|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015182609/http://www.foia.cia.gov/docs/DOC_0001110635/0001110635_0001.gif|archive-date=October 15, 2012}}</ref> On September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda [[September 11 attacks|attacked the United States]], hijacking four airliners within the country and deliberately crashing two into the twin towers of the [[World Trade Center (1973-2001)|World Trade Center]] in [[New York City]]. The third plane crashed into the western side of [[the Pentagon]] in [[Arlington County, Virginia]]. The fourth plane was crashed into a field in [[Shanksville, Pennsylvania]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=National Commission on Terrorist Attacks |title=The 9/11 Commission Report |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |date=July 22, 2004 |edition=first |url=https://archive.org/details/911commissionrep00nati |isbn=0-393-32671-3 }}</ref> In total, the attackers killed 2,977 victims and injured more than 6,000 others.<ref name="Flags">{{Cite news|url=http://www.theonlinerocket.com/news/lost-lives-remembered-during-9-11-ceremony-1.2333384|title=Lost lives remembered during 9/11 ceremony|publisher=The Online Rocket|access-date=April 4, 2012|date=September 12, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629111119/http://www.theonlinerocket.com/news/lost-lives-remembered-during-9-11-ceremony-1.2333384 |archive-date=June 29, 2011}}</ref>
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| [[File:Anwar al-Awlaki sitting on couch, lightened.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Anwar al-Awlaki]]]]
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| US officials noted that [[Anwar al-Awlaki]] had considerable reach within the US. A former FBI agent identified Awlaki as a known "senior recruiter for al-Qaeda", and a spiritual motivator.<ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/al-qaeda-recruiter-focus-fort-hood-killings-investigation/story?id=9045492 Chucmach, Megan, and Ross, Brian, "Al Qaeda Recruiter New Focus in Fort Hood Killings Investigation Army Major Nidal Hasan Was In Contact With Imam Anwar Awlaki, Officials Say,"] ''[[ABC News]]'', November 10, 2009. Retrieved November 12, 2009</ref> Awlaki's sermons in the US were attended by three of the 9/11 hijackers, and accused [[2009 Fort Hood shooting|Fort Hood shooter]] [[Nidal Hasan]]. US intelligence intercepted emails from Hasan to Awlaki between December 2008 and early 2009. On his website, Awlaki has praised Hasan's actions in the Fort Hood shooting.<ref name="abcnews.go.com">Esposito, Richard, Cole, Matthew, and Ross, Brian, [https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/fort-hood-shooter-contact-al-qaeda-terrorists-officials/story?id=9030873 "Officials: US Army Told of Hasan's Contacts with al Qaeda; Army Major in Fort Hood Massacre Used 'Electronic Means' to Connect with Terrorists,"] ''[[ABC News]]'', November 9, 2009. Retrieved November 12, 2009</ref>
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| An unnamed official claimed there was good reason to believe Awlaki "has been involved in very serious terrorist activities since leaving the US [in 2002], including plotting attacks against America and our allies."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/26/AR2008022603267.html|title=Imam From Va. Mosque Now Thought to Have Aided Al-Qaeda|via=www.washingtonpost.com}}</ref> US President [[Barack Obama]] approved the [[targeted killing]] of al-Awlaki by April 2010, making al-Awlaki the first US citizen ever placed on the CIA target list. That required the consent of the [[US National Security Council]], and officials argued that the attack was appropriate because the individual posed an imminent danger to national security.<ref name="washingtonpost2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/06/AR2010040604121.html|title=Muslim cleric Aulaqi is 1st U.S. citizen on list of those CIA is allowed to kill|last1=Miller|first1=Greg|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=April 6, 2010|access-date=April 9, 2010}}</ref><ref name="nytimes1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/world/middleeast/07yemen.html|title=U.S. Approves Targeted Killing of American Cleric|last1=Shane|first1=Scott|date=April 6, 2010|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 6, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100408031248/http://www.nytimes.com//2010//04//07//world//middleeast//07yemen.html|archive-date=April 8, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="telegraph">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/7564581/Barack-Obama-orders-killing-of-US-cleric-Anwar-al-Awlaki.html|title=Barack Obama orders killing of US cleric Anwar al-Awlaki|first1=Tom|last1=Leonard|date=April 7, 2010|newspaper=Telegraph (UK)|access-date=April 8, 2010|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100411042550/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/7564581/Barack-Obama-orders-killing-of-US-cleric-Anwar-al-Awlaki.html|archive-date=April 11, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> In May 2010, [[Faisal Shahzad]], who pleaded guilty to the [[2010 Times Square car bombing attempt]], told interrogators he was "inspired by" al-Awlaki, and sources said Shahzad had made contact with al-Awlaki over the Internet.<ref name="autogenerated3">{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704370704575228150116907566 |title=Suspect Cites Radical Imam's Writings |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |first1=Yochi J. |last1=Dreazen |author-link1=Yochi Dreazen |first2=Evan |last2=Perez |date=May 6, 2010 |access-date=May 6, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100509120618/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704370704575228150116907566.html |archive-date=May 9, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="herridge1">{{Cite news|last1=Herridge|first1=Catherine|url=http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/05/06/times-square-bomb-suspect-fan-prominent-radical-cleric-sources-say/|title=Times Square Bomb Suspect a 'Fan' of Prominent Radical Cleric, Sources Say|publisher=Fox News Channel|date=May 6, 2010|access-date=May 7, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507101825/http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/05/06/times-square-bomb-suspect-fan-prominent-radical-cleric-sources-say/|archive-date=May 7, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="abcnews1">{{Cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/faisal-shahzad-contact-awlaki-taliban-mumbai-massacre-mastermind/story?id=10575061|title=Faisal Shahzad Had Contact With Anwar Awlaki, Taliban, and Mumbai Massacre Mastermind, Officials Say|last1=Esposito|first1=Richard|first2=Chris|last2=Vlasto|first3=Chris|last3=Cuomo|work=The Blotter from Brian Ross|publisher=ABC News|date=May 6, 2010|access-date=May 7, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100509013338/https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/faisal-shahzad-contact-awlaki-taliban-mumbai-massacre-mastermind/story?id=10575061|archive-date=May 9, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> Representative [[Jane Harman]] called him "terrorist number one", and ''[[Investor's Business Daily]]'' called him "the world's most dangerous man".<ref>{{cite web|first1=Max|last1=Fisher|access-date=2020-09-18|title=Anwar Who?|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/09/anwar-who/245953/|date=30 September 2011|website=The Atlantic}}</ref><ref>May 10, 2010, editorial in the Investor's Business Daily</ref> In July 2010, the [[U.S. Treasury Department|US Treasury Department]] added him to its list of [[Specially Designated Global Terrorist]]s, and the UN added him to its list of individuals associated with al-Qaeda.<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite news|url=http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2010/07/21/Awlaki-lands-on-al-Qaida-suspect-list/UPI-55521279731808/|title=Awlaki lands on al-Qaida suspect list|work=United Press International|access-date=October 30, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101023142601/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2010/07/21/Awlaki-lands-on-al-Qaida-suspect-list/UPI-55521279731808/|archive-date=October 23, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> In August 2010, al-Awlaki's father initiated a lawsuit against the US government with the [[American Civil Liberties Union]], challenging its order to kill al-Awlaki.<ref name="seerpress_lawsuit">{{Cite news|url=http://www.offiziere.ch/wp-content/uploads/seerpress.com-CIA_on_the_verge_of_lawsuit.pdf|title=CIA on the verge of lawsuit|publisher=Seer Press News|date=August 5, 2010|first1=Mark|last1=Wilson}}</ref> In October 2010, US and UK officials linked al-Awlaki to the [[2010 cargo plane bomb plot]].<ref name="telegraph1">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/8099345/Yemen-cargo-bomb-plot-may-have-been-targeted-at-Britain.html|title=Yemen cargo bomb plot may have been targeted at Britain|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=October 30, 2010|access-date=October 31, 2010|location=London|first1=Sean|last1=Rayment|first2=Patrick|last2=Hennessy|first3=David|last3=Barrett|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101101031903/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/8099345/Yemen-cargo-bomb-plot-may-have-been-targeted-at-Britain.html|archive-date=November 1, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> In September 2011, al-Awlaki was killed in a targeted killing drone attack in Yemen.<ref>[[Micah Zenko|Zenko, Micah]]. (September 30, 2011) [http://blogs.cfr.org/zenko/2011/09/30/targeted-killings-the-death-of-anwar-al-awlaki/ Targeted Killings: The Death of Anwar al-Awlaki] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407013416/http://blogs.cfr.org/zenko/2011/09/30/targeted-killings-the-death-of-anwar-al-awlaki/ |date=April 7, 2014 }}. ''Council on Foreign Relations''. Retrieved August 4, 2013</ref> On March 16, 2012, it was reported that [[Osama bin Laden]] plotted to kill US President Barack Obama.<ref name="BBC-2012-03-07">{{cite news|work=BBC News |date=March 17, 2012|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17413055|title=Osama Bin Laden 'plotted to kill Obama' before death}}</ref>
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| ===Death of Osama bin Laden===
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| {{Main|Death of Osama bin Laden}}
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| [[File:Osama bin Laden compound1.jpg|thumb|View of Osama bin Laden's compound in [[Abbottabad]], Pakistan, where he was killed on May 1, 2011]]
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| On May 1, 2011, US President Barack Obama announced that Osama bin Laden had been killed by "a small team of Americans" acting under direct orders, [[Osama bin Laden's hideout compound|in a covert operation]] in [[Abbottabad]], Pakistan.<ref name="guardian1">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/may/02/osama-bin-laden-dead-obama|work=The Guardian|location=London |date=May 1, 2011|title=Osama bin Laden is dead, Obama announces |first1=Richard|last1=Adams|first2=Declan|last2=Walsh|first3=Ewen|last3=MacAskill}}</ref><ref name="abc death"/> The action took place {{convert|50|km|mi|abbr=on}} north of Islamabad.<ref name="CNN-raid"/> According to US officials, a team of 20–25 [[US Navy SEALs]] under the command of the [[Joint Special Operations Command]] stormed bin Laden's compound with two helicopters. Bin Laden and those with him were killed during a firefight in which US forces experienced no casualties.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/osama-bin-laden-killed-navy-seals-firefight/story?id=13505792|title=Osama Bin Laden Killed By Navy Seals in Firefight |work=ABC News|access-date=May 2, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604035658/https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/osama-bin-laden-killed-navy-seals-firefight/story?id=13505792|archive-date=June 4, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> According to one US official the attack was carried out without the knowledge or consent of the Pakistani authorities.<ref name="washingtonpost.com">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/osama-bin-laden-is-killed-by-us-forces-in-pakistan/2011/05/01/AFXMZyVF_story.html|title=Osama bin Laden is killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan|work=The Washington Post|date=May 2, 2011|first1=Dan|last1=Balz}}</ref> In Pakistan some people were reported to be shocked at the unauthorized incursion by US armed forces.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chitralnews.com/News-%20AweStruckt-02-Mayr-11.htm|title=Chitralis bewildered at OBL episode|publisher=Chitralnews.com|date=May 2, 2011|access-date=May 8, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110505081231/http://www.chitralnews.com/News-%20AweStruckt-02-Mayr-11.htm|archive-date=May 5, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> The site is a few miles from the [[Pakistan Military Academy]] in [[Kakul]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Osama bin Laden, the face of terror, killed in Pakistan|publisher=CNN|date=May 2, 2011|access-date=May 2, 2011|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/01/bin.laden.obit/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110506084553/http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/01/bin.laden.obit/index.html|archive-date=May 6, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> In his broadcast announcement President Obama said that US forces "took care to avoid civilian casualties".<ref>[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-dead-obama-speech-video-transcript_n_856122.html "Osama Bin Laden Dead: Obama Speech Video And Transcript"] ''The Huffington Post'', May 2, 2011</ref>
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| Details soon emerged that three men and a woman were killed along with bin Laden, the woman being killed when she was "used as a shield by a male combatant".<ref name="washingtonpost.com"/> [[DNA]] from bin Laden's body, compared with DNA samples on record from his dead sister,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/27739824/detail.html|title=Report: DNA At Mass. General Confirms bin Laden's Death|publisher=Thebostonchannel.com|date=February 5, 2011|access-date=May 2, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518182150/http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/27739824/detail.html|archive-date=May 18, 2011|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> confirmed bin Laden's identity.<ref name="Osama bin Laden Killed; ID Confirmed by DNA Testing">{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/osama-bin-laden-killed/story?id=13505703|title=Osama bin Laden Killed; ID Confirmed by DNA Testing|work=[[ABC News]]|date=May 1, 2011}}</ref> The body was recovered by the US military and was in its custody<ref name="abc death">{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/osama-bin-laden-killed/story?id=13505703|title=Osama Bin Laden Killed by US Strike|work=[[ABC News]]|date=May 1, 2011}}</ref> until, according to one US official, his body was [[Burial at sea|buried at sea]] according to Islamic traditions.<ref name="CNN-raid">{{cite news|title=How U.S. forces killed Osama bin Laden|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/02/bin.laden.raid/|publisher=Cable News Network|access-date=May 2, 2011|author=the CNN Wire|date=May 2, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/42852700|title=US forces kill Osama bin Laden in Pakistan|publisher=MSN}}</ref> One US official said that "finding a country willing to accept the remains of the world's most wanted terrorist would have been difficult."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_bin_laden_burial|title=Official: Bin Laden buried at sea|work=Yahoo! News|date=May 2, 2011|access-date=May 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504024833/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_bin_laden_burial |archive-date=May 4, 2011}}</ref> US State Department issued a "Worldwide caution" for Americans following bin Laden's death and US diplomatic facilities everywhere were placed on high alert, a senior US official said.<ref name="Elusive terror figure killed">{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/02/bin.laden.dead/index.html|title=U.S. forces kill elusive terror figure Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan|publisher=CNN|date=May 2, 2011}}</ref> Crowds gathered outside the [[White House]] and in New York City's [[Times Square]] to celebrate bin Laden's death.<ref name="Bin Laden's death celebration">{{cite web|url=http://www.euronews.net/2011/05/02/crowds-celebrate-bin-laden-s-death/|title=Crowds celebrate Bin Laden's death|publisher=[[Euronews]]|date=May 2, 2011}}</ref>
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| ===Syria===
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| {{Update section|date=June 2020}}
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| {{Main|Syrian Civil War}}
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| {{See also|Al-Nusra Front|Tahrir al-Sham|Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant}}
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| [[File:Syrian Civil War map.svg|thumb|Military situation in the Syrian Civil War as of {{#invoke:Iraq Syria map date|syriadate}}.<br>{{legend|#fff7fd|Controlled by [[al-Nusra Front]]}}]]
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| [[File:Saadallah al-Jabiri square, Aleppo, after the explosion of October 2012.jpg|thumb|The scene of the [[October 2012 Aleppo bombings]], for which al-Nusra Front claimed responsibility<ref>{{Cite news|title=With wary eye, Syrian rebels welcome Islamists into their ranks|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/with-wary-eye-syrian-rebels-welcome-islamists-into-their-ranks/|work=The Times of Israel|date=October 25, 2012}}</ref>]]
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| In 2003, President [[Bashar al-Assad]] revealed in an interview with a Kuwaiti newspaper that he doubted al-Qaeda even existed. He was quoted as saying, "Is there really an entity called al-Qaeda? Was it in Afghanistan? Does it exist now?" He went on further to remark about bin Laden, commenting "[he] cannot talk on the phone or use the Internet, but he can direct communications to the four corners of the world? This is illogical."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2003-05-25-assad_x.htm|title=Assad doubts existence of al-Qaeda|work=USA Today|access-date=May 15, 2014}}</ref>
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| Following the mass protests that took place in 2011, which demanded the resignation of al-Assad, al-Qaeda-affiliated groups and Sunni sympathizers soon began to constitute an effective fighting force against al-Assad.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Berezow|first1=Alex|url=http://www.realclearworld.com/blog/2013/09/alqaeda_goes_global.html|title=Al-Qaeda Goes Global|publisher=RealClearWorld|date=September 30, 2013|access-date=November 10, 2013}}</ref> Before the [[Syrian Civil War]], al-Qaeda's presence in Syria was negligible, but its growth thereafter was rapid.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Neumann|first1=Peter|author-link=Peter R. Neumann |year=2014|title=Suspects into Collaborators|url=http://www.lrb.co.uk/v36/n07/peter-neumann/suspects-into-collaborators|journal=[[London Review of Books]]|volume=36|number=7|pages=19–21|access-date=April 6, 2014 }}</ref> Groups such as the [[al-Nusra Front]] and the [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]] have recruited many foreign [[Mujahideen]] to train and fight in what has gradually become a highly sectarian war.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/04/opinion/bergen-sectarian-war-syria/index.html|publisher=CNN|title=Opinion: Syria plunging Mideast into sectarian war? |date=September 4, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Cowell|first1=Alan|url=http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/syria/index.html|title=Syria – Uprising and Civil War|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 10, 2013}}</ref> Ideologically, the [[Syrian Civil War]] has served the interests of al-Qaeda as it pits a mainly Sunni opposition against a secular government. Al-Qaeda and other fundamentalist Sunni militant groups have invested heavily in the civil conflict, at times actively backing and supporting the mainstream [[Syrian Opposition]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.france24.com/en/20131001-reporters-syria-in-aleppo-with-free-syrian-army-fighters-civil-war-weapons-assad-civil-war|title=Syria: On the frontline with the Free Syrian Army in Aleppo|date=October 4, 2013|publisher=FRANCE 24|access-date=November 10, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/sep/30/al-nusra-front-free-syrian-army-seize-border-cross/|title=Al Nusra Front, an al Qaeda branch, and the Free Syrian Army jointly seize border crossing|work=The Washington Times|date=September 30, 2013|access-date=November 10, 2013}}</ref>
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| On February 2, 2014, al-Qaeda distanced itself from ISIS and its actions in Syria;<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-26016318|title=Al-Qaeda disavows ISIS militants in Syria|work=BBC News|date=February 3, 2014}}</ref> however, during 2014–15, ISIS and the al-Qaeda-linked [[al-Nusra Front]]<ref name="weekly"/> were still able to occasionally cooperate in their fight against the Syrian government.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/jabhat-al-nusra-isis-alliance-could-spread-beyond-damascus-1877819 |title=Jabhat Al-Nusra And ISIS Alliance Could Spread Beyond Damascus |first1=Erin |last1=Banco |newspaper=International Business Times |date=April 11, 2015}}</ref><ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20141114170317/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11230622/How-would-a-deal-between-al-Qaeda-and-Isil-change-Syrias-civil-war.html How would a deal between al-Qaeda and Isil change Syria's civil war?]". ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]''. November 14, 2014</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sacbee.com/2014/03/04/6207631/isis-joins-other-rebels-to-thwart.html|title=ISIS joins other rebels to thwart Syria regime push near Lebanon|newspaper=The Sacramento Bee|publisher=McClatchy DC|date=March 4, 2014|access-date=October 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006094834/http://www.sacbee.com/2014/03/04/6207631/isis-joins-other-rebels-to-thwart.html|archive-date=October 6, 2014|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Al-Nusra (backed by Saudi Arabia and Turkey as part of the [[Army of Conquest]] during 2015–2017<ref name="independent"/>) launched many attacks and [[List of bombings during the Syrian Civil War|bombings]], mostly against targets affiliated with or supportive of the Syrian government.<ref>"[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-aleppo-idUSKCN0PG2EI20150706 Syria's al-Qaeda offshoot Nusra stages suicide bombing in Aleppo: monitor] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151031033527/http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/06/us-mideast-crisis-aleppo-idUSKCN0PG2EI20150706 |date=October 31, 2015 }}". Reuters. July 6, 2015.</ref> From October 2015, [[Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War|Russian air strikes]] targeted positions held by al-Nusra Front, as well as other Islamist and non-Islamist rebels,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34411653 |title=Russia launches media offensive on Syria bombing |newspaper=BBC News |date=October 1, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/15/russia-begins-major-offensive-in-syria-with-airstrikes-on-idlib/|title=Russia launches major offensive in Syria with airstrikes on Idlib and Homs, as rebel-held east Aleppo bombarded for first time in weeks |newspaper=The Telegraph|first1=Raf|last1=Pantucci|date=15 November 2016}}</ref><ref name="As US bombs rebels">[https://www.newsweek.com/syria-war-us-rebels-russia-isis-israel-569812 Syria at War: As U.S. Bombs Rebels, Russia Strikes ISIS and Israel Targets Assad] ''Newsweek'' 17 March 2017</ref> while the US also targeted al-Nusra with airstrikes.<ref name="As US bombs rebels"/><ref>[https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/04/03/bomb-first-ask-questions-later-syria-al-qaeda/ The United States Is Bombing First, Asking Questions Later], ''Foreign Policy'' 3{{nbs}}April 2017</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/20/world/middleeast/us-airstrike-al-qaeda-syria.html U.S. Airstrike Kills More Than 100 Qaeda Fighters in Syria] ''New York Times'' 20 January 2017</ref> In early 2016, a leading ISIL ideologue described al-Qaeda as the "Jews of jihad".<ref>{{cite web |last1= Moore |first1= Jack |date= January 25, 2016 |title= ISIS ideologue calls al-Qaeda the 'Jews of jihad' as rivalry continues |url= http://europe.newsweek.com/isis-ideologue-calls-al-qaeda-jews-jihad-rivalry-continues-419320 |website= Newsweek |access-date= March 2, 2016 }}</ref>
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| ===India===
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| {{Main|al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent}}
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| In September 2014 al-Zawahiri announced al-Qaeda was establishing a front in India to "wage jihad against its enemies, to liberate its land, to restore its sovereignty, and to revive its Caliphate." Al-Zawahiri nominated India as a beachhead for regional jihad taking in neighboring countries such as Myanmar and Bangladesh. The motivation for the video was questioned, as it appeared the militant group was struggling to remain relevant in light of the emerging prominence of ISIS.<ref name="IndiaAlQaeda">{{cite news|title=India security alert after Al Qaeda calls for jihad in subcontinent|url=http://www.indiagazette.com/index.php/sid/225407619|date=September 4, 2014|access-date=September 8, 2014|work=India Gazette}}</ref> The new wing was to be known as "Qaedat al-Jihad fi'shibhi al-qarrat al-Hindiya" or al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). Leaders of several Indian Muslim organizations rejected al-Zawahiri's pronouncement, saying they could see no good coming from it, and viewed it as a threat to Muslim youth in the country.<ref name="IndiaGazette">{{cite news|title=Indian Muslims Reject al-Qaida call for Jihad|url=http://www.indiagazette.com/index.php/sid/225460583|date=September 6, 2014|access-date=September 8, 2014|work=India Gazette}}</ref>
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| In 2014 ''[[Zee News]]'' reported that [[Bruce Riedel]], a former CIA analyst and National Security Council official for South Asia, had accused the Pakistani military intelligence and [[Inter-Services Intelligence]] (ISI) of organising and assisting Al-Qaeda to organise in India, that Pakistan ought to be warned that it will be placed on the list of [[State Sponsors of Terrorism]], and that "Zawahiri made the tape in his hideout in Pakistan, no doubt, and many Indians suspect the ISI is helping to protect him."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/al-qaeda-launches-india-wing-pakistan-army-isi-targeting-india-to-hit-nawaz-sharif_1465727.html|title=Al Qaeda launches India wing: 'Pakistan Army, ISI targeting India to hit Nawaz Sharif'|work=Zee News|date=September 6, 2014|access-date=October 25, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.oneindia.in/india/al-qaeda-wing-in-india-threatening-video-pakistan-isi-exposed-indian-ib-report-1515097.html|title=al-Qaeda's wing in India: Pakistan's ISI exposed over threatening video|work=news.oneindia.in|date=September 4, 2014|access-date=October 25, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.oneindia.in/feature/danger-from-isis-al-qaeda-what-india-should-do-1516217.html|title=Danger from ISIS and Al Qaeda: What India should do|work=news.oneindia.in|date=September 5, 2014|access-date=October 25, 2014}}</ref>
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| ==Attacks==
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| {{Main|Timeline of al-Qaeda attacks}}
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| [[File:RecentAlQaedaAttacks.svg|thumb|upright=1.65|
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| [[1998 United States embassy bombings|Nairobi, Kenya]]: August 7, 1998<br>
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| [[1998 United States embassy bombings|Dar es Salaam, Tanzania]]: August 7, 1998<br>
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| [[USS Cole bombing|Aden, Yemen]]: October 12, 2000<br>
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| [[September 11 attacks|World Trade Center, US]]: September 11, 2001<br>
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| [[September 11 attacks|The Pentagon, US]]: September 11, 2001<br>
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| [[2003 Istanbul bombings|Istanbul, Turkey]]: November 15 and 20, 2003]]
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| Al-Qaeda has carried out a total of six major attacks, four of them in its jihad against America. In each case the leadership planned the attack years in advance, arranging for the shipment of weapons and explosives and using its businesses to provide operatives with safehouses and false identities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/08/twenty-years-war/496736/|title=Al-Qaeda Has Been at War With the United States for 20 Years|first=Dominic|last=Tierney|date=August 23, 2016|website=The Atlantic}}</ref>
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| ===1992===
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| On December 29, 1992, al-Qaeda launched its first attack, the [[1992 Yemen hotel bombings]]. Two bombs were detonated in [[Aden]], Yemen. The first target was the Movenpick Hotel and the second was the parking lot of the Goldmohur Hotel.<ref name="wright174">{{Harvnb|Wright|2006|p=174}}.</ref>
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| The bombings were an attempt to eliminate American soldiers on their way to Somalia to take part in the international famine relief effort, [[Operation Restore Hope]]. Internally, al-Qaeda considered the bombing a victory that frightened the Americans away, but in the US, the attack was barely noticed. No American soldiers were killed because no soldiers were staying in the hotel which was bombed. However, an Australian tourist and a Yemeni hotel worker were killed in the bombing. Seven others, mostly Yemenis, were severely injured.<ref name="wright174"/> Two fatwas are said to have been appointed by al-Qaeda's members, [[Mamdouh Mahmud Salim]], to justify the killings according to Islamic law. Salim referred to a famous fatwa appointed by [[Ibn Taymiyyah]], a 13th-century scholar much admired by Wahhabis, which sanctioned resistance by any means during the Mongol invasions.<ref>{{Harvnb|Jansen|1997}}.</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=September 2009}}
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| ===Late 1990s===
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| [[File:Kenya bombing 1.jpg|left|thumb|upright|1998 [[1998 United States embassy bombings|Nairobi embassy bombing]]]]
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| {{Main|1998 United States embassy bombings|2000 millennium attack plots|USS Cole bombing}}
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| In 1996, bin Laden personally engineered a plot to assassinate United States President [[Bill Clinton]] while the president was in [[Manila]] for the [[Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation]]. However, intelligence agents intercepted a message before the motorcade was to leave, and alerted the [[U.S. Secret Service|US Secret Service]]. Agents later discovered a bomb planted under a bridge.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Osama bin Laden came within minutes of killing Bill Clinton |first1=Tom|last1=Leonard|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=December 25, 2009|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/philippines/6867331/Osama-bin-Laden-came-within-minutes-of-killing-Bill-Clinton.html|access-date=December 25, 2009|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091225150252/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/philippines/6867331/Osama-bin-Laden-came-within-minutes-of-killing-Bill-Clinton.html|archive-date=December 25, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref>
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| On August 7, 1998, al-Qaeda [[1998 U.S. embassy bombings|bombed the US embassies in East Africa]], killing 224 people, including 12 Americans. In retaliation, a barrage of [[cruise missile]]s launched by the US military devastated an al-Qaeda base in [[Khost]], Afghanistan. The network's capacity was unharmed. In late 1999 and 2000, Al-Qaeda planned [[2000 millennium attack plots|attacks to coincide with the millennium]], masterminded by [[Abu Zubaydah]] and involving [[Abu Qatada]], which would include the bombing of Christian holy sites in Jordan, the bombing of [[Los Angeles International Airport]] by [[Ahmed Ressam]], and the bombing of the {{USS|The Sullivans|DDG-68}}.
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| On October 12, 2000, al-Qaeda militants in Yemen [[USS Cole bombing|bombed]] the [[Guided missile destroyer|missile destroyer]] ''[[USS Cole (DDG-67)|USS Cole]]'' in a suicide attack, killing 17 US servicemen and damaging the vessel while it lay offshore. Inspired by the success of such a brazen attack, al-Qaeda's command core began to prepare for an attack on the US itself.
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| ===September 11 attacks===
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| {{Main|September 11 attacks}}
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| {{See also|Responsibility for the September 11 attacks}}
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| [[File:FEMA - 4235 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 09-28-2001 in New York.jpg|thumb|upright|Aftermath of the September 11 attacks]]
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| The September 11 attacks on America by al-Qaeda killed 2,977 people{{snd}}2,507 civilians, 343 firefighters, 72 law enforcement officers, and 55 military personnel. Two commercial airliners were deliberately flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, a third into the Pentagon, and a fourth, originally intended to target either the [[United States Capitol]] or the [[White House]], crashed in a field in Stonycreek Township near [[Shanksville, Pennsylvania]]. It was also the deadliest foreign attack on American soil since the [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor]] on December 7, 1941.
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| The attacks were conducted by al-Qaeda, acting in accord with the [[Fatawā of Osama bin Laden#1998 Fatwa|1998 ''fatwa'']] issued against the US and its allies by persons under the command of bin Laden, al-Zawahiri, and others.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/irp/world/para/docs/980223-fatwa.htm|title=Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders|access-date=June 16, 2010|date=February 23, 1998}}</ref> Evidence points to suicide squads led by al-Qaeda military commander [[Mohamed Atta]] as the culprits of the attacks, with bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, [[Khalid Sheikh Mohammed]], and [[Hambali]] as the key planners and part of the political and military command.
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| Messages issued by bin Laden after September 11, 2001 praised the attacks, and explained their motivation while denying any involvement.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/16/inv.binladen.denial/|title=Bin Laden says he wasn't behind attacks|publisher=CNN|access-date=July 6, 2006|date=September 17, 2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060705161654/http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/16/inv.binladen.denial/|archive-date=July 5, 2006|url-status=live}}</ref> Bin Laden legitimized the attacks by identifying grievances felt by both mainstream and Islamist Muslims, such as the general perception that the US was actively oppressing Muslims.<ref>{{Harvnb|Esposito|2002|p=22}}.</ref>
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| Bin Laden asserted that America was massacring Muslims in "[[Palestinian National Authority|Palestine]], [[Chechnya]], [[Kashmir]] and Iraq" and Muslims should retain the "right to attack in reprisal". He also claimed the 9/11 attacks were not targeted at people, but "America's icons of military and economic power", despite the fact he planned to attack in the morning when most of the people in the intended targets were present and thus generating the maximum number of human casualties.<ref>Hamid Miir 'Osama claims he has nukes: If U.S. uses N-arms it will get the same response' "Dawn: the Internet Edition" November 10, 2001</ref>
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| Evidence has since come to light that the original targets for the attack may have been nuclear power stations on the US East Coast. The targets were later altered by al-Qaeda, as it was feared that such an attack "might get out of hand".<ref name="AL-QAIDA-LEADERS-SAY-NUCLEAR-POWER-STATIONS-WERE-ORIGINAL-TARGETS">{{Cite news|title=Al-Qaida leaders say nuclear power stations were original targets|url=https://www.theguardian.com/afghanistan/story/0,1284,788431,00.html|work=The Guardian|location=UK|date=September 9, 2002|access-date=January 11, 2007 |first1=Giles|last1=Tremlett|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070122160702/http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0%2C1284%2C788431%2C00.html|archive-date=January 22, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Al-Qaeda-SCALED-BACK-10-PLANE-PLOT">{{Cite news|title=Al Qaeda Scaled Back 10-Plane Plot|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45853-2004Jun16_2.html|work=The Washington Post|date=June 17, 2004|access-date=January 11, 2007 }}</ref>
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| ==Designation as a terrorist group==
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| Al-Qaeda is deemed a [[List of designated terrorist groups|designated terrorist group]] by the following countries and international organizations:
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| {{Div col|colwidth=15em}}
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| * {{flag|Australia}}<ref name="Australia">{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/agd/www/nationalsecurity.nsf/AllDocs/95FB057CA3DECF30CA256FAB001F7FBD?OpenDocument|title=Listing of Terrorist Organisations|access-date=July 3, 2006|publisher=Australian Government |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140204040731/http://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/agd/www/nationalsecurity.nsf/AllDocs/95FB057CA3DECF30CA256FAB001F7FBD?OpenDocument |archive-date=February 4, 2014}}</ref>
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| * {{flag|Azerbaijan}}<ref name=terrorlist>{{cite web|title=Armed group neutralized in Azerbaijan linked to Al-Qaeda|url=http://en.trend.az/news/politics/2016022.html|website=en.trend.az|access-date=21 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121201073423/http://en.trend.az/news/politics/2016022.html|archive-date=December 1, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
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| * {{BHR}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mofa.gov.bh/Default.aspx?tabid=12342&language=en-US|title=Bahrain Terrorist List (individuals – entities)|website=www.mofa.gov.bh}}</ref>
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| * {{flag|Belarus}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://belarusdigest.com/story/is-radical-islam-a-threat-for-belarus/|title=Is Radical Islam a Threat for Belarus? – BelarusDigest|access-date=January 11, 2019}}</ref>
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| * {{flag|Brazil}}<ref name="Brazil">{{cite web|url=http://congressoemfoco.uol.com.br/opiniao/colunistas/o-brasil-e-o-terrorismo-internacional/|title=O Brasil e o terrorismo internacional|access-date=February 22, 2014|first1=Alfredo|last1=Sirkis}}</ref>
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| * {{flag|Canada}}<ref name="Canada">{{cite web|url=http://www.psepc.gc.ca/prg/ns/le/cle-en.asp|title=Entities list|access-date=July 3, 2006|author1=Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061119150657/http://www.psepc.gc.ca/prg/ns/le/cle-en.asp |archive-date=November 19, 2006}}</ref>
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| * {{flag|China}}<ref name="uyg1" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2535_665405/t819914.shtml|title=Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Jiang Yu's Remarks on the Killing of Al-Qaeda Leader Bin Laden in Pakistan|website=fmprc.gov.cn}}</ref>
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| * {{flag|European Union}}<ref name="EU">{{cite web|url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/com/2004/com2004_0700en01.doc |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20070614032134/http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/com/2004/com2004_0700en01.doc |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 14, 2007 |title=Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament |author=Commission of the European Communities |date=October 20, 2004 |access-date=June 11, 2007 |format=DOC |author-link=Commission of the European Communities }}</ref>
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| * {{flag|France}}<ref name="fr-report">{{cite web|url=http://lesrapports.ladocumentationfrancaise.fr/cgi-bin/brp/telestats.cgi?brp_ref=064000275&brp_file=0000.pdf|title=La France face au terrorisme|publisher=Secrétariat général de la défense nationale (France)|language=fr|access-date=August 6, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807105500/http://lesrapports.ladocumentationfrancaise.fr/BRP/064000275/0000.pdf |archive-date=August 7, 2011}}</ref>
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| * {{flag|India}}<ref name="The Hindu : Centre bans Al-Qaeda">{{cite web|url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/2002/04/09/stories/2002040903651100.htm|title=The Hindu : Centre bans Al-Qaeda|publisher=Hinduonnet.com|date=April 9, 2002|access-date=March 22, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090427232058/http://www.hinduonnet.com/2002/04/09/stories/2002040903651100.htm|archive-date=April 27, 2009|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
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| * {{flag|Indonesia}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://time.com/4181557/jakarta-terrorist-attacks-indonesia-isis/|title=Indonesia's Long Battle With Islamic Extremism|website=Time|access-date=January 11, 2019}}</ref>
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| * {{flag|Iran}}<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/2007/06/12/iran-wants-to-talk-with-us-just-not-about-nukes/|title=Iran Wants to Talk With U.S.; Just Not About Nukes|last1=Moody|first1=John|date=June 12, 2007|newspaper=[[Fox News]]|access-date=July 31, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225195502/http://www.foxnews.com/story/2007/06/12/iran-wants-to-talk-with-us-just-not-about-nukes/|archive-date=December 25, 2013|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
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| * {{flag|Ireland}}<ref name="Department of Justice Ireland">{{cite web|title=Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Act 2005 |url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2005/en/act/pub/0002/ |work=2005 |publisher=Department of Justice Ireland |access-date=May 26, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140527215313/http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2005/en/act/pub/0002/ |archive-date=May 27, 2014 |df=mdy }}</ref>
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| * {{flag|Israel}}<ref name="Israel">{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Terrorism+and+Islamic+Fundamentalism-/Summary+of+indictments+against+Al-Qaeda+terrorists+in+Samaria+21-Mar-2006.htm|title=Summary of indictments against Al-Qaeda terrorists in Samaria|date=March 21, 2006|access-date=May 4, 2011|publisher=Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs}}</ref><ref name="justice.gov.il">{{cite web|url=http://www.justice.gov.il/NR/rdonlyres/9C960928-70AB-428A-BCCC-2E6091F2BDE3/40880/impa_terror_eng_17012013.doc |title= List of Declaration and Orders – Unofficial Translation |access-date=August 9, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810135338/http://www.justice.gov.il/NR/rdonlyres/9C960928-70AB-428A-BCCC-2E6091F2BDE3/40880/impa_terror_eng_17012013.doc |archive-date=August 10, 2014 }}</ref>
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| * {{flag|Japan}}<ref name="Japan">{{cite web|url=http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/other/bluebook/2002/chap1-b.pdf|title=B. Terrorist Attacks in the United States and the Fight Against Terrorism|author=Diplomatic Bluebook|year=2002|access-date=June 11, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614032134/http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/other/bluebook/2002/chap1-b.pdf|archive-date=June 14, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref>
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| * {{flag|Kazakhstan}}<ref name="Mfa-kazakhstan">{{cite web|url=http://mfa.gov.kz/index.php/en/foreign-policy/current-issues-of-kazakhstan-s-foreign-policy/counteraction-to-new-challenges/fight-against-terrorism-and-extremism-in-kazakhstan|title=Fight against terrorism and extremism in Kazakhstan|publisher=Mfa.gov.kz|access-date=November 23, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151114002653/http://mfa.gov.kz/index.php/en/foreign-policy/current-issues-of-kazakhstan-s-foreign-policy/counteraction-to-new-challenges/fight-against-terrorism-and-extremism-in-kazakhstan|archive-date=November 14, 2015|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
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| * {{flag|Kyrgyzstan}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://central.asia-news.com/en_GB/articles/cnmi_ca/features/2017/04/12/feature-01|title=Kyrgyzstan to publicise list of banned terrorist groups|last=Caravanserai|website=Caravanserai|access-date=January 11, 2019}}</ref>
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| * {{flag|NATO}}<ref name="NATOQaeda">{{cite web|url=http://www.nato.int/docu/speech/2001/s011122b.htm|title=Press Conference with NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson|access-date=October 23, 2006|author=NATO|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061026040125/http://www.nato.int/docu/speech/2001/s011122b.htm|archive-date=October 26, 2006|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nato.int/structur/library/bibref/them0305.pdf|title=AL QAEDA|author=NATO Library|year=2005|access-date=June 11, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614032137/http://www.nato.int/structur/library/bibref/them0305.pdf|archive-date=June 14, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref>
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| * {{MYS}}<ref>http://www.moha.gov.my/images/maklumat_bahagian/KK/kdndomestic.pdf</ref>
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| * {{flag|Netherlands}}<ref name="Netherlands">{{cite web|url=http://ftp.fas.org/irp/world/netherlands/aivd2004-eng.pdf |title=Annual Report 2004 |access-date=June 11, 2007 |author=General Intelligence and Security Service |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614032136/http://ftp.fas.org/irp/world/netherlands/aivd2004-eng.pdf |archive-date=June 14, 2007 |url-status=dead |author-link=General Intelligence and Security Service }}</ref>
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| * {{flag|New Zealand}}<ref name="New Zealand">{{cite web|url=http://www.police.govt.nz/service/counterterrorism/designated-terrorists.html|title=New Zealand's designated terrorist individuals and organisations|access-date=October 7, 2008|author=New Zealand Government |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007014045/http://www.police.govt.nz/service/counterterrorism/designated-terrorists.html |archive-date=October 7, 2008}}</ref>
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| * {{flag|Pakistan}}<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20121026232240/http://tribune.com.pk/story/456294/list-of-banned-organisations-in-pakistan/</ref>
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| * {{flag|Philippines}}<ref name = "newsflashabus">{{cite news
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| | title = ABUS, AL-QAEDA TAGGED IN WEDNESDAY NIGHT ZAMBOANGA BOMBING
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| | url = http://www.newsflash.org/2002/09/hl/hl016645.htm
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| | work = newsflash
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| | date = 4 October 2002
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| | access-date = 22 March 2010}}</ref>
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| * {{flag|Russia|name=Russian Federation}}<ref name="Russia">{{Cite news|url=http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/07/28/russiaterrorlist.shtml|archive-url=https://archive.today/20061114154904/http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/07/28/russiaterrorlist.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 14, 2006|title=Russia Outlaws 17 Terror Groups; Hamas, Hezbollah Not Included}}</ref>
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| * {{KSA}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewstory.php?newsid=1206711|title=سياسي / وزارة الداخلية: بيان بالمحظورات الأمنية والفكرية على المواطن والمقيم ، وإمهال المشاركين بالقتال خارج المملكة 15 يوما إضافية لمراجعة النفس والعودة إلى وطنهم / إضافة أولى وكالة الأنباء السعودية|website=www.spa.gov.sa|access-date=August 21, 2020|archive-date=October 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022233244/https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewstory.php?newsid=1206711|url-status=dead}}</ref>
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| * {{flag|South Korea}}<ref name="Korea">{{Cite news|url=http://www.korea.net/news/news/NewsView.asp?serial_no=20070813015&part=102|title=Seoul confirms release of two Korean hostages in Afghanistan|date=August 14, 2007|access-date=September 16, 2007|author=Korean Foreign Ministry|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215153000/http://www.korea.net/news/news/NewsView.asp?serial_no=20070813015&part=102|archive-date=December 15, 2007}}</ref>
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| * {{flag|Sweden}}<ref name="Ministry for Foreign Affairs Sweden">{{cite web|url=http://www.sweden.gov.se/content/1/c6/06/12/67/01b99143.pdf|title=Radical Islamist Movements in the Middle East|author=Ministry for Foreign Affairs Sweden|date=March–June 2006|access-date=June 11, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614032136/http://www.sweden.gov.se/content/1/c6/06/12/67/01b99143.pdf|archive-date=June 14, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>
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| * {{flag|Switzerland}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.efv.admin.ch/d/dokumentation/downloads/themen/finanzkrimi/CH_UNTerror_1201_e.pdf|title=Report on counter-terrorism submitted by Switzerland to the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001)|date=December 20, 2001|access-date=June 11, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609153811/http://www.efv.admin.ch/d/dokumentation/downloads/themen/finanzkrimi/CH_UNTerror_1201_e.pdf|archive-date=June 9, 2007|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
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| * {{flag|Tajikistan}}<ref>''Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia'', page 8</ref><ref name=ENDDATE>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/tajikistan.htm Tajikistan Civil War] Global Security</ref>
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| * {{flag|Turkey}} designated Al-Qaeda's Turkish branch<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.egm.gov.tr/temuh/terorgrup1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130114042731/http://www.egm.gov.tr/temuh/terorgrup1.html|title=Terörle Mücadele ve Harekat Dairesi Başkanlığı|archive-date=January 14, 2013|access-date=April 12, 2016}}</ref>
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| * {{flag|United Arab Emirates}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wam.ae/ar/news/emirates-arab-international/1395272465559.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141117230142/http://www.wam.ae/ar/news/emirates-arab-international/1395272465559.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 17, 2014|title=مجلس الوزراء يعتمد قائمة التنظيمات الإرهابية. – WAM|date=November 17, 2014}}</ref>
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| * {{flag|United Kingdom}}<ref>{{cite act |title=[[Terrorism Act 2000]] |number=11 |year=2000 |article=2 |articletype=Schedule |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/11/schedule/2}}</ref>
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| * {{flagdeco|United Nations}} [[United Nations Security Council]]<ref name="UNSC-WORK-RELATED-TO-RESOLUTION-1267">{{cite web|title=Security Council Resolutions Related to the Work of the Committee Established Pursuant to Resolution 1267 (1999) Concerning Al-Qaida and the Taliban and Associated Individuals and Entities |publisher=[[United Nations Security Council]] |url=https://www.un.org/Docs/sc/committees/1267/1267ResEng.htm |access-date=January 9, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070112115326/http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/committees/1267/1267ResEng.htm |archive-date=January 12, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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| * {{flag|United States}}<ref name="US">{{cite web|url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/s/ct/rls/fs/37191.htm|title=Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs)|access-date=July 3, 2006|author=United States Department of State|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117015042/https://2001-2009.state.gov/s/ct/rls/fs/37191.htm|archive-date=November 17, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
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| * {{flag|Uzbekistan}}<ref name=CRISIS>[http://jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=236626 Terrorism in Uzbekistan: A self-made crisis] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061016211249/http://jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=236626 |date=October 16, 2006 }} Jamestown Foundation</ref><ref name=CORNELL>[http://www.cdi.org/russia/johnson/8147-18.cfm Uzbekistan: Who's Behind The Violence?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040404040430/http://www.cdi.org/russia/johnson/8147-18.cfm |date=2004-04-04 }} Center for Defense Information</ref>
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| * {{flag|Vietnam}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/1957304/vietnamese-born-al-qaeda-recruit-sentenced-40-years|title=Vietnamese-born al-Qaeda recruit sentenced to 40 years in US over plot to bomb Heathrow|date=May 28, 2016|website=South China Morning Post|access-date=January 11, 2019}}</ref>
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| {{div col end}}
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| ==War on Terror==
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| {{Main|War on Terror|List of wars and battles involving al-Qaeda}}
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| [[File:US 10th Mountain Division soldiers in Afghanistan.jpg|thumb|US troops in Afghanistan]]
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| In the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the US government [[Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists|responded]], and began to prepare its [[Military of the United States|armed forces]] to overthrow the Taliban, which it believed was harboring al-Qaeda. The US offered Taliban leader [[Mohammed Omar|Mullah Omar]] a chance to surrender bin Laden and his top associates. The first forces to be inserted into Afghanistan were paramilitary officers from the CIA's elite [[Special Activities Division]] (SAD).
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| The [[Taliban]] offered to turn over bin Laden to a [[neutral country]] for trial if the US would provide evidence of bin Laden's complicity in the attacks. US President [[George W. Bush]] responded by saying: "We know he's guilty. Turn him over",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20011015-NEWS-310159983|title=US Jets Pound Targets Around Kabul|work=[[The Portsmouth Herald]]|date=October 15, 2001|access-date=July 25, 2012}}</ref> and British Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]] warned the Taliban regime: "Surrender bin Laden, or surrender power."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/blair-to-taliban-surrender-bin-laden-or-surrender-power-1.295241|title=Blair to Taliban: Surrender bin Laden or surrender power|publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] |date=October 3, 2001|access-date=March 22, 2010}}</ref>
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| Soon thereafter the US and its allies invaded Afghanistan, and together with the [[Northern Alliance|Afghan Northern Alliance]] removed the Taliban government as part of the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|war in Afghanistan]]. As a result of the US [[special forces]] and [[close air support|air support]] for the Northern Alliance ground forces, a number of Taliban and [[Derunta training camp|al-Qaeda training camps]] were destroyed, and much of the operating structure of al-Qaeda is believed to have been disrupted. After being driven from their key positions in the [[Tora Bora]] area of Afghanistan, many al-Qaeda fighters tried to regroup in the rugged [[Gardez]] region of the nation.
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| [[File:Khalid Shaikh Mohammed after capture.jpg|left|thumb|upright|[[Khalid Sheikh Mohammed]] after his arrest in [[Rawalpindi]], Pakistan, in March 2003]]
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| By early 2002, al-Qaeda had been dealt a serious blow to its operational capacity, and the Afghan invasion appeared to be a success. Nevertheless, a significant [[Taliban insurgency]] remained in Afghanistan.
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| Debate continued regarding the nature of al-Qaeda's role in the 9/11 attacks. The [[United States State Department|US State Department]] released a [[Videos of Osama bin Laden#December 13, 2001|videotape]] showing bin Laden speaking with a small group of associates somewhere in Afghanistan shortly before the Taliban was removed from power.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2001/b12132001_bt630-01.html|title=U.S. Releases Videotape of Osama Bin Laden|access-date=July 4, 2006|date=December 13, 2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060625223529/http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2001/b12132001_bt630-01.html|archive-date=June 25, 2006}}</ref> Although its authenticity has been questioned by a couple of people,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/september11/story/0,11209,619188,00.html|author=Morris, Steven|title=US urged to detail origin of tape|work=The Guardian|location=UK|access-date=July 11, 2006|date=December 15, 2001 }}</ref> the tape definitively implicates bin Laden and al-Qaeda in the September 11 attacks. The tape was aired on many [[television channels]], with an accompanying English translation provided by the [[US Defense Department]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/12/13/tape.transcript/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202084109/http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/12/13/tape.transcript/ |archive-date=February 2, 2007 |title=Transcript of Osama bin Laden videotape}}</ref>
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| In September 2004, the [[9/11 Commission]] officially concluded that the attacks were conceived and implemented by al-Qaeda operatives.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.9-11commission.gov/|title=National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States|access-date=April 27, 2006|date=September 20, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060427220632/http://www.9-11commission.gov/|archive-date=April 27, 2006|url-status=live}}</ref> In October 2004, bin Laden appeared to claim responsibility for the attacks in a [[2004 Osama bin Laden video|videotape]] released through Al Jazeera, saying he was inspired by Israeli attacks on high-rises in the 1982 [[1982 Lebanon War|invasion of Lebanon]]: "As I looked at those demolished towers in Lebanon, it entered my mind that we should punish the oppressor in kind and that we should destroy towers in America in order that they taste some of what we tasted and so that they be deterred from killing our women and children."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/79C6AF22-98FB-4A1C-B21F-2BC36E87F61F.htm|title=Full transcript of bin Ladin's speech|publisher=Al Jazeera|access-date=July 12, 2006|date=November 1, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060711055450/http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/79C6AF22-98FB-4A1C-B21F-2BC36E87F61F.htm|archive-date=July 11, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref>
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| By the end of 2004, the US government proclaimed that two-thirds of the most senior al-Qaeda figures from 2001 had been captured and interrogated by the CIA: [[Abu Zubaydah]], [[Ramzi bin al-Shibh]] and [[Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri]] in 2002;<ref name="martinez interrogations">{{Cite news|last1=Shane|first1=Scott|title=Inside the interrogation of a 9/11 mastermind|work=The New York Times|date=June 22, 2008|pages=A1, A12–A13|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/22/washington/22ksm.html|access-date=September 5, 2009}}</ref> [[Khalid Sheikh Mohammed]] in 2003;<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/guantanamo/article209722184.html|title=Lawyers: Scan suggests alleged 9/11 plotter suffered head injury in CIA custody|last1=Rosenberg|first1=Carol|date=April 30, 2018|newspaper=[[Miami Herald]]|access-date=February 2, 2019}}</ref> and [[Saif al Islam el Masry]] in 2004.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/insidealqaedaglo00guna|url-access=registration|access-date=February 2, 2019|title=Inside Al Qaeda: Global Network of Terror
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| |last1=Gunaratna|first1=Rohan|pages=[https://archive.org/details/insidealqaedaglo00guna/page/147 147]|year=2002|publisher=Columbia University Press|quote=The Al Qaeda team included Abu Talha al-Sudani, Saif al-Islam el-Masry, Salem el-Masry, Saif al-Adel and other trainers, including Abu Jaffer el-Masry, the explosives expert who ran the Jihad Wal camp Afghanistan. In addition to developing this capability with Iranian assistance, Al Qaeda also received a large amount of explosives from Iran that were used in the bombing of the East African targets. The training team brought Hezbollah training and propaganda videos with the intention of passing on their knowledge to other Al Qaeda members and Islamist groups.|isbn=9780231126922|ref=none}}</ref> [[Mohammed Atef]] and several others were killed.<!--Despite this, the US government continues to warn that the organization is not yet defeated and battles between US forces and al-Qaeda-related groups continue.
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| By the end of 2008, the Taliban had severed any remaining ties with al-Qaeda.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/10/06/afghan.saudi.talks/?iref=mpstoryview|title=Sources: Taliban split with al Qaeda, seek peace|publisher=CNN}}</ref> According to senior US military intelligence officials, there are fewer than 100 members of al-Qaeda remaining in Afghanistan.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/10/AR2009111019644.html|title=In Afghanistan, Taliban leaving al-Qaeda behind|first=Joshua|last=Partlow|date=November 11, 2009|work=The Washington Post}}</ref>
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| WP article "FBI, CIA Debate Significance of Terror Suspect"--> The West was criticized for not being able to handle Al-Qaida despite a decade of the war.<ref>{{cite web|first1=Paul|last1=Rogers|url=http://www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk/publications/articles_multimedia/al_qaida_multiform_idea|title=Al-Qaida – A Multiform Idea|publisher=Oxford Research Group|date=August 8, 2013|access-date=November 10, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110090613/http://www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk/publications/articles_multimedia/al_qaida_multiform_idea|archive-date=November 10, 2013|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
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| ==Activities==
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| {{wide image|Main countries of activity of Al-Qaeda.png|400px|Main countries of activity of Al-Qaeda}}
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| ===Africa===
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| {{Main|Al-Qaeda involvement in Africa}}
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| [[File:GSPC map.png|thumb|[[Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb]] (formerly [[Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat|GSPC]]) area of operations]]
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| [[File:The Guardian al-Qaeda recruitment.jpg|thumb|Front page of ''[[The Guardian Weekly]]'' on the eighth anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The article claimed that al-Qaeda's activity is "increasingly dispersed to 'affiliates' or 'franchises' in Yemen and North Africa."<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Black|first1=Ian|author-link=Ian Black (journalist)|last2=Norton-Taylor|first2=Richard|author-link2=Richard Norton-Taylor|title=Al-Qaida weakened by global recruitment woes|work=The Guardian Weekly|volume=181|issue=14|date=September 18, 2009|pages=1–2|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/sep/10/al-qaida-recruitment-crisis|access-date=September 19, 2009|location=London}}</ref>]]
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| [[Al-Qaeda involvement in Africa]] has included a number of bombing attacks in North Africa, while supporting parties in civil wars in Eritrea and Somalia. From 1991 to 1996, bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders were based in Sudan.
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| Islamist rebels in the [[Sahara]] calling themselves [[al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb]] have stepped up their violence in recent years.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Trofimov|first1=Yaroslav|title=Islamic rebels gain strength in the Sahara|work=The Wall Street Journal|volume=254|issue=39|date=August 15, 2009|page=A9|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB125030117348933737|access-date=September 15, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last1=Trofimov|first1=Yaroslav|title=Islamic rebels gain strength in the Sahara|work=The Wall Street Journal Europe|volume=27|issue=136|date=August 17, 2009|page=12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last1=Trofimov|first1=Yaroslav|title=Islamic rebels gain in the Sahara|work=The Wall Street Journal Asia|volume=33|issue=245|date=August 18, 2009|page=12}}</ref> French officials say the rebels have no real links to the al-Qaeda leadership, but this has been disputed. It seems likely that bin Laden approved the group's name in late 2006, and the rebels "took on the al Qaeda franchise label", almost a year before the violence began to escalate.<ref>{{Harvnb|Riedel|2008|p=126}}.</ref>
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| In Mali, the [[Ansar Dine]] faction was also reported as an ally of al-Qaeda in 2013.<ref>Baba Ahmed and Jamey Keaten, Associated Press (January 12, 2013) [https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/01/11/french-action-against-mali/1828181/ Hundreds of French troops drive back Mali rebels]. ''USA Today''. Retrieved August 4, 2013</ref> The Ansar al Dine faction aligned themselves with the [[Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb|AQIM]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=a_Xhxv5YDjkC&pg=PA137 Ansar al Dine]. Google Books. Retrieved August 4, 2013</ref>
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| In 2011, Al-Qaeda's North African wing condemned Libyan leader [[Muammar Gaddafi]] and declared support for the [[Anti-Gaddafi forces|Anti-Gaddafi rebels]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-libya-alqaeda-idUKTRE71N12X20110224|title=Al Qaeda backs Libyan protesters, condemns Gaddafi|author=Reuters Staff|date=February 24, 2011|via=www.reuters.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8344417/Libya-al-Qaeda-backs-protesters.html|title=Libya: al-Qaeda backs protesters|website=The Telegraph}}</ref>
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| Following the [[2011 Libyan Civil War|Libyan Civil War]], the removal of [[Gaddafi]] and the ensuing period of [[post-civil war violence in Libya]], various [[Islamist]] militant groups affiliated with al-Qaeda were able to expand their operations in the region.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8860684/Libya-revolutionaries-turn-on-each-other-as-fears-grow-for-law-and-order.html|title=Libya: revolutionaries turn on each other as fears grow for law and order|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=October 31, 2011|access-date=November 10, 2013|location=London|first1=Nick|last1=Meo}}</ref> The [[2012 Benghazi attack]], which resulted in the death of [[US Ambassador]] [[J. Christopher Stevens]] and three other Americans, is suspected of having been carried out by various [[Jihadist]] networks, such as [[Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb]], [[Ansar al-Sharia]] and several other Al-Qaeda affiliated groups.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/09/21/libyans-storm-ansar-al-sharia-compound-in-backlash-attack-on-us-consulate/|title=Libyans storm Ansar Al-Shariah compound in backlash after attack on US Consulate|publisher=Fox News Channel|date=September 21, 2012|access-date=November 10, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/02/world/africa/us-libya-benghazi-suspects|title=Sources: 3 al Qaeda operatives took part in Benghazi attack|publisher=CNN|date=May 4, 2013|access-date=November 10, 2013}}</ref> The capture of [[Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai]], a senior al-Qaeda operative wanted by the United States for his involvement in the [[1998 United States embassy bombings]], on October 5, 2013, by [[U.S. Navy Seals|US Navy Seals]], [[FBI]] and [[CIA]] agents illustrates the importance the US and other Western allies have placed on North Africa.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/05/world/africa/us-forces-africa-terrorist-raids/index.html|title=U.S. forces raid terror targets in Libya, Somalia|publisher=CNN|date=October 6, 2013|access-date=November 10, 2013}}</ref>
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| ===Europe===
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| {{Main|Al-Qaeda involvement in Europe}}
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| Prior to the [[September 11 attacks]], [[Al Qaeda in Bosnia and Herzegovina|al-Qaeda]] was present in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and its members were mostly veterans of the [[Bosnian mujahideen|El Mudžahid]] detachment of the Bosnian Muslim [[Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina]]. Three al-Qaeda operatives carried out the [[Mostar car bombing]] in 1997. The operatives were closely linked to and financed by the [[Saudi High Commission for Relief of Bosnia and Herzegovina]] founded by then-prince King [[Salman of Saudi Arabia]].{{citation needed|date=January 2019|reason=for the whole paragraph}}
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| Before the 9/11 attacks and the US invasion of Afghanistan, westerners who had been recruits at al-Qaeda training camps were sought after by al-Qaeda's military wing. Language skills and knowledge of Western culture were generally found among recruits from Europe, such was the case with [[Mohamed Atta]], an Egyptian national studying in Germany at the time of his training, and other members of the [[Hamburg Cell]]. [[Osama bin Laden]] and [[Mohammed Atef]] would later designate Atta as the ringleader of the [[9/11 hijackers]]. Following the attacks, Western intelligence agencies determined that al-Qaeda cells operating in Europe had aided the hijackers with financing and communications with the central leadership based in Afghanistan.<ref name="9-11commission.gov"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/sep/30/terrorism.september113|title=Last words of a terrorist | The Observer|work=The Guardian|access-date=November 10, 2013}}</ref>
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| In 2003, Islamists carried out a series of bombings in [[Istanbul]] killing fifty-seven people and injuring seven hundred. Seventy-four people were charged by the Turkish authorities. Some had previously met bin Laden, and though they specifically declined to pledge allegiance to al-Qaeda they asked for its blessing and help.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/12/AR2007021201715_pf.html|title=Washington Post – Al-Qaeda's Hand in Istanbul Plot|work=The Washington Post |access-date=March 22, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3735645|title=Msn News – Bin Laden allegedly planned attack in Turkey – Stymied by tight security at U.S. bases, militants switched targets|work=NBC News|date=December 17, 2003|access-date=March 22, 2010}}</ref>
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| In 2009, three Londoners, Tanvir Hussain, Assad Sarwar and Ahmed Abdullah Ali, were convicted of [[2006 transatlantic aircraft plot|conspiring to detonate bombs disguised as soft drinks on seven airplanes bound for Canada and the US]] The [[MI5]] investigation regarding the plot involved more than a year of surveillance work conducted by over two hundred officers.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Gardham|first1=Duncan|title=Gang is brought to justice by most complex operation since the war|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London |date=September 8, 2009|page=2|url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/6152185/Airline-bomb-plot-investigation-one-of-biggest-since-WW2.html|access-date=September 15, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last1=Gardham|first1=Duncan|title=Complex operation brings gang to justice|work=The Weekly Telegraph|edition=Australian |issue=947|date=September 16, 2009|page=9}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last1=Milmo|first1=Cahal|title=Police watched the plot unfold, then pounced|work=The Independent|location=London |date=September 8, 2009|pages=2–4|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/police-watched-the-plot-unfold-then-pounced-1783388.html|access-date=September 15, 2009 }}</ref> British and US officials said the plot{{snd}}unlike many similar homegrown European Islamic militant plots{{snd}}was directly linked to al-Qaeda and guided by senior al-Qaeda members in Pakistan.<ref>{{cite web|agency=Associated Press|url=http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1251804512098&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110512043550/http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1251804512098&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 12, 2011 |title=UK court convicts 3 of plot to blow up airliners |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=September 7, 2009 |access-date=May 8, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Sandford|first1=Daniel|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8221375.stm|title=UK | Airline plot: Al-Qaeda connection|work=BBC News|date=September 7, 2009|access-date=March 22, 2010}}</ref>
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| In 2012, Russian Intelligence indicated that al-Qaeda had given a call for "forest jihad" and has been starting massive forest fires as part of a strategy of "thousand cuts".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Elder|first1=Miriam|title=Russia accuses al-Qaida of 'forest jihad' in Europe|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/oct/03/russia-al-qaida-forest-jihad|access-date=November 6, 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|date=October 3, 2012|location=London}}</ref>
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| ===Arab world===
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| {{Main|Al-Qaeda involvement in the Middle East|Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb|Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula|USS Cole bombing}}
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| [[File:INTEL-COGNITIVE-Cole.jpg|thumb|[[USS Cole bombing|USS ''Cole'']] after the October 2000 attack]]
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| Following [[Yemeni unification]] in 1990, Wahhabi networks began moving missionaries into the country. Although it is unlikely bin Laden or Saudi al-Qaeda were directly involved, the personal connections they made would be established over the next decade and used in the [[USS Cole bombing|USS ''Cole'' bombing]].<ref>{{Cite journal
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| |last1 = Weir
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| |first1 = Shelagh
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| |date = July–September 1997
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| |title = A Clash of Fundamentalisms: Wahhabism in Yemen
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| |series = Middle East Report
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| |publisher = [[Middle East Research and Information Project]]
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| |issue = 204
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| |url = http://www.merip.org/mer/mer204/weir.htm
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| |access-date = January 19, 2009
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| |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081003091516/http://www.merip.org/mer/mer204/weir.htm
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| |archive-date = October 3, 2008
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| |url-status = dead
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| |df = mdy-all
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| }}; cited in {{Cite book|last1=Burke
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| |first1=Jason
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| |author-link=Jason Burke
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| |title=Al-Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror
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| |pages=[https://archive.org/details/alqaedacastingsh00burk/page/128 128–29]
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| |publisher=I.B. Tauris
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| |year=2003
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| |location=New York
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| |isbn=1-85043-396-8
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| |url=https://archive.org/details/alqaedacastingsh00burk/page/128
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| }}</ref> Concerns grew over Al Qaeda's group in [[Yemeni al-Qaeda crackdown|Yemen]].<ref>"[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/10/30/earlyshow/saturday/main7006282.shtml Yemen: The Next Front Line Against al Qaeda]". CBS News. October 30, 2010</ref>
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| In Iraq, al-Qaeda forces loosely associated with the leadership were embedded in the [[Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad]] group commanded by [[Abu Musab al-Zarqawi]]. Specializing in suicide operations, they have been a "key driver" of the [[Iraqi insurgency (Iraq War)|Sunni insurgency]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Riedel|2008|p=100}}.</ref> Although they played a small part in the overall insurgency, between 30% and 42% of all suicide bombings which took place in the early years were claimed by Zarqawi's group.<ref>See the works cited in {{Harvnb|Riedel|2008|p=101}} {{Harvnb|Hafez|2007|pp=97–98}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last1=Al-Shishani|first1=Murad Batal|title=Al-Zarqawi's Rise to Power: Analyzing Tactics and Targets|work=Jamestown Foundation Terrorism Monitor|volume=3|issue=22|date=November 17, 2005}}</ref> Reports have indicated that oversights such as the failure to control access to the Qa'qaa munitions factory in [[Yusufiyah]] have allowed large quantities of munitions to fall into the hands of al-Qaida.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jan/07/iraq-weapons-factory-al-qaida-us-failure|title=How the US let al-Qaida get its hands on an Iraqi weapons factory|work=The Guardian|location=UK|access-date=January 7, 2011 |first1=Dominic|last1=Streatfeild|date=January 7, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110107134826/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/07/iraq-weapons-factory-al-qaida-us-failure|archive-date=January 7, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> In November 2010, the militant group [[Islamic State of Iraq]], which is linked to al-Qaeda in Iraq, threatened to "exterminate all [[Iraqi Christians]]".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/csi-urges-obama-to-protect-iraqs-endangered-christian-community-106490518.html|title=CSI Urges Obama to Protect Iraq's Endangered Christian Community|date=November 1, 2010|agency=PR Newswire|access-date=July 6, 2014}}</ref><ref>"[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/11/01/world/main7011759.shtml Iraqi Christians Mourn 58 Dead in Church Siege]". CBS News. November 1, 2010.</ref>
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| Al-Qaeda did not begin training [[Palestinians]] until the late 1990s.<ref name="palestinian operatives">{{Harvnb|Gunaratna|2002|p=150}}.</ref> Large groups such as [[Hamas]] and [[Palestinian Islamic Jihad]] have rejected an alliance with al-Qaeda, fearing that al-Qaeda will co-opt their cells. This may have changed recently. The Israeli security and intelligence services believe al-Qaeda has managed to infiltrate operatives from the Occupied Territories into Israel, and is waiting for an opportunity to attack.<ref name="palestinian operatives"/>
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| {{as of|2015}}, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey are openly supporting the [[Army of Conquest]],<ref name="weekly">"[http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/News/12392/21/Gulf-allies-and-%E2%80%98Army-of-Conquest%E2%80%99.aspx Gulf allies and 'Army of Conquest']". ''[[Al-Ahram Weekly]]''. May 28, 2015.</ref><ref>"[https://news.yahoo.com/army-conquest-rebel-alliance-pressures-syria-regime-090529121.html 'Army of Conquest' rebel alliance pressures Syria regime]". Yahoo News. April 28, 2015.</ref> an umbrella rebel group fighting in the [[Syrian Civil War]] against the Syrian government that reportedly includes an al-Qaeda linked [[al-Nusra Front]] and another [[Salafi jihadism|Salafi]] coalition known as [[Ahrar al-Sham]].<ref name="independent">{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-crisis-turkey-and-saudi-arabia-shock-western-countries-by-supporting-antiassad-jihadists-10242747.html |title=Turkey and Saudi Arabia alarm the West by backing Islamist extremists the Americans had bombed in Syria |first1=Kim |last1=Sengupta |newspaper=The Independent |date=May 12, 2015 |access-date=August 23, 2017 |archive-date=May 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150513214636/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-crisis-turkey-and-saudi-arabia-shock-western-countries-by-supporting-antiassad-jihadists-10242747.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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| ===Kashmir===
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| {{Main|Kashmir conflict}}
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| Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri consider India to be a part of an alleged Crusader-Zionist-Hindu conspiracy against the Islamic world.<ref>[http://www.brookings.edu/articles/2008/1130_india_terrorism_riedel.aspx Terrorism in India and the Global Jihad] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111111191820/http://www.brookings.edu/articles/2008/1130_india_terrorism_riedel.aspx |date=November 11, 2011 }}, [[Brookings Institution]], November 30, 2008</ref> According to a 2005 report by the [[Congressional Research Service]], bin Laden was involved in training militants for Jihad in Kashmir while living in Sudan in the early 1990s. By 2001, Kashmiri militant group [[Harkat-ul-Mujahideen]] had become a part of the al-Qaeda coalition.<ref>[https://fas.org/irp/crs/RS22049.pdf Al Qaeda: Profile and Threat Assessment], [[Congressional Research Service]], February 10, 2005</ref> According to the [[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees]] (UNHCR), al-Qaeda was thought to have established bases in [[Pakistan administered Kashmir]] (in [[Azad Kashmir]], and to some extent in [[Gilgit–Baltistan]]) during the 1999 [[Kargil War]] and continued to operate there with tacit approval of Pakistan's Intelligence services.<ref>{{cite web|author=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |url=http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,463af2212,469f2dcf2,487ca21a2a,0.html |title=Freedom in the World 2008 – Kashmir Pakistan, 2 July 2008 |publisher=Unhcr.org |date=July 2, 2008 |access-date=May 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110512172350/http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic%2C463af2212%2C469f2dcf2%2C487ca21a2a%2C0.html |archive-date=May 12, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>
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| Many of the militants active in Kashmir were trained in the same [[madrasa]]hs as [[Taliban]] and al-Qaeda. [[Fazlur Rehman Khalil]] of Kashmiri militant group [[Harkat-ul-Mujahideen]] was a signatory of al-Qaeda's 1998 declaration of [[Jihad]] against America and its allies.<ref name=CFRKashmir>[http://www.cfr.org/publication/9135/ Kashmir Militant Extremists] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070214103922/http://www.cfr.org/publication/9135/ |date=February 14, 2007 }}, [[Council on Foreign Relations]], July 9, 2009</ref> In a 'Letter to American People' (2002), bin Laden wrote that one of the reasons he was fighting America was because of its support to India on the Kashmir issue.<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/library/report/2002/021120-ubl.htm Osama bin Laden "letter to the American people"], GlobalSecurity.org, November 20, 2002</ref><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/nov/24/theobserver Full text: bin Laden's 'letter to America'], ''[[The Guardian]]'', November 24, 2002</ref> In November 2001, [[Kathmandu]] airport went on high alert after threats that bin Laden planned to hijack a plane and crash it into a target in New Delhi.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dawn.com/2001/11/10/int3.htm |title=Osama men plan to target Delhi: Kathmandu receives threat] |work=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]] |date=November 10, 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020418160409/http://www.dawn.com/2001/11/10/int3.htm |archive-date=April 18, 2002}}</ref> In 2002, US Secretary of Defense [[Donald Rumsfeld]], on a trip to Delhi, suggested that al-Qaeda was active in Kashmir though he did not have any evidence.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/2043800.stm Analysis: Is al-Qaeda in Kashmir?], [[BBC]], June 13, 2002</ref><ref name=SMH>[https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/06/13/1023864326179.html Rumsfeld offers US technology to guard Kashmir border], [[The Sydney Morning Herald]], June 14, 2002</ref> Rumsfeld proposed hi-tech ground sensors along the [[Line of Control]] to prevent militants from infiltrating into Indian-administered Kashmir.<ref name=SMH/>
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| An investigation in 2002 found evidence that al-Qaeda and its affiliates were prospering in Pakistan-administered Kashmir with tacit approval of Pakistan's [[Inter-Services Intelligence]].<ref>[http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0702/p01s02-wosc.html Al Qaeda thriving in Pakistani Kashmir], [[The Christian Science Monitor]], July 2, 2002</ref> In 2002, a special team of [[Special Air Service]] and [[Delta Force]] was sent into [[Indian-Administered Kashmir]] to hunt for bin Laden after receiving reports that he was being sheltered by Kashmiri militant group [[Harkat-ul-Mujahideen]], which had been responsible for [[1995 Kidnapping of western tourists in Kashmir|kidnapping western tourists in Kashmir in 1995]].<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/1385795/SAS-joins-Kashmir-hunt-for-bin-Laden.html SAS joins Kashmir hunt for bin Laden], [[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]], February 23, 2002</ref> Britain's highest-ranking al-Qaeda operative [[Rangzieb Ahmed]] had previously fought in Kashmir with the group [[Harkat-ul-Mujahideen]] and spent time in Indian prison after being captured in Kashmir.<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/3832366/Al-Qaeda-terror-trial-Rangzieb-Ahmed-was-highest-ranking-al-Qaeda-operative-in-Britain.html Al-Qaeda terror trial: Rangzieb Ahmed was highest ranking al-Qaeda operative in Britain], ''[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]''. December 18, 2008</ref>
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| US officials believe al-Qaeda was helping organize attacks in Kashmir in order to provoke conflict between India and Pakistan.<ref>[http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/south/06/12/kashmir.qaeda/ Bin Laden's finger on Kashmir trigger?], [[CNN]], June 12, 2002</ref> Their strategy was to force Pakistan to move its troops to the border with India, thereby relieving pressure on al-Qaeda elements hiding in northwestern Pakistan.<ref>[https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2002/05/29/taliban-kashmir.htm Taliban, al-Qaeda linked to Kashmir], [[USA Today]], May 29, 2002</ref> In 2006 al-Qaeda claimed they had established a wing in Kashmir.<ref name="CFRKashmir"/><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/13/world/asia/13iht-india.2194572.html Al Qaeda claim of Kashmir link worries India], ''[[The New York Times]]'',2006-07-13</ref> However Indian Army General [[H. S. Panag]] argued that the army had ruled out the presence of al-Qaeda in Indian-administered [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]]. Panag also said al-Qaeda had strong ties with Kashmiri militant groups [[Lashkar-e-Taiba]] and [[Jaish-e-Mohammed]] based in Pakistan.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070823034704/http://www.hindu.com/2007/06/18/stories/2007061801191400.htm No Al Qaeda presence in Kashmir: Army], ''[[The Hindu]]'',2007-06-18</ref> It has been noted that [[Waziristan]] has become a battlefield for Kashmiri militants fighting [[NATO]] in support of al-Qaeda and Taliban.<ref>[http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=199076 Ilyas Kashmiri had planned to attack COAS], ''[[The News International]]'', September 18, 2009 {{Dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>[http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=148529 Waziristan new battlefield for Kashmiri militants] {{dead link|date=November 2017}}{{cbignore}}, [[The News International]], November 24, 2008</ref><ref>[http://www.indianexpress.com/news/kashmiri-militants-move-to-waziristan-open/390569/ Kashmiri militants move to Waziristan, open training camps] [[The Indian Express]], November 26, 2008</ref> [[Dhiren Barot]], who wrote the ''Army of Madinah in Kashmir''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/Barot/ArmyMadinahinKashmir.pdf|title=Army of Madinah in Kashmir|publisher=[[Nine Eleven Finding Answers Foundation]]|website=nefafoundation.org|access-date=June 6, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503125705/http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/Barot/ArmyMadinahinKashmir.pdf|archive-date=May 3, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and was an al-Qaeda operative convicted for involvement in the [[2004 financial buildings plot]], had received training in weapons and explosives at a militant training camp in Kashmir.<ref>[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article628497.ece How radical Islam turned a schoolboy into a terrorist], ''[[The Times]]'', November 7, 2006</ref>
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| <!--left off here-->
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| [[Maulana Masood Azhar]], the founder of Kashmiri group [[Jaish-e-Mohammed]], is believed to have met bin Laden several times and received funding from him.<ref name=CFRKashmir/> In 2002, [[Jaish-e-Mohammed]] organized the kidnapping and murder of [[Daniel Pearl]] in an operation run in conjunction with al-Qaeda and funded by bin Laden.<ref>[https://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200410/bergen The Long Hunt for Osama], ''[[The Atlantic]]'', October 2004</ref> According to American [[counter-terrorism]] expert [[Bruce Riedel]], al-Qaeda and Taliban were closely involved in the 1999 hijacking of [[Indian Airlines Flight 814]] to [[Kandahar]] which led to the release of [[Maulana Masood Azhar]] and [[Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh]] from an Indian prison. This hijacking, Riedel said, was rightly described by then Indian Foreign Minister [[Jaswant Singh]] as a 'dress rehearsal' for September 11 attacks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brookings.edu/articles/2007/05terrorism_riedel.aspx |title=Al Qaeda Strikes Back |first1=Bruce |last1=Riedel |work=The Brookings Institution |access-date=April 12, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605132922/http://www.brookings.edu/articles/2007/05terrorism_riedel.aspx |archive-date=June 5, 2011 |df=mdy }}</ref> Bin Laden personally welcomed Azhar and threw a lavish party in his honor after his release.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100411010821/http://www.hindu.com/2006/09/18/stories/2006091814740100.htm Al-Qaeda involved in Indian plane hijack plot], ''[[The Hindu]]'', September 18, 2006</ref><ref>[http://www.indianexpress.com/news/osama-threw-lavish-party-for-azhar-after-hi/12921/ Osama threw lavish party for Azhar after hijack], ''[[The Indian Express]]'', September 18, 2006</ref> Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who had been in prison for his role in the [[1994 kidnappings of Western tourists in India]], went on to murder [[Daniel Pearl]] and was sentenced to death in Pakistan. Al-Qaeda operative [[Rashid Rauf]], who was one of the accused in [[2006 transatlantic aircraft plot]], was related to Maulana Masood Azhar by marriage.<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/3500661/Rashid-Rauf-profile-of-a-terror-mastermind.html Rashid Rauf: profile of a terror mastermind], ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', November 22, 2008</ref>
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| [[Lashkar-e-Taiba]], a Kashmiri militant group which is thought to be behind [[2008 Mumbai attacks]], is also known to have strong ties to senior al-Qaeda leaders living in Pakistan.<ref>LeT, which is based at Muridke, near Lahore in Pakistan, has networks throughout India and its leadership has close links with core al-Qaeda figures living in Pakistan [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5248563.ece Focus on Westerners suggests al-Qaeda was pulling strings], ''[[The Times]]'', November 28, 2008</ref> In late 2002, top al-Qaeda operative [[Abu Zubaydah]] was arrested while being sheltered by [[Lashkar-e-Taiba]] in a safe house in [[Faisalabad]].<ref name=WSJ20081204>[https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122834970727777709 Lashkar-e-Taiba Served as Gateway for Western Converts Turning to Jihad], ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', December 4, 2008</ref> The FBI believes al-Qaeda and Lashkar have been 'intertwined' for a long time while the CIA has said that al-Qaeda funds Lashkar-e-Taiba.<ref name=WSJ20081204/> [[Jean-Louis Bruguière]] told Reuters in 2009 that "Lashkar-e-Taiba is no longer a Pakistani movement with only a Kashmir political or military agenda. Lashkar-e-Taiba is a member of al-Qaeda."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/03-lashkar-e-taiba-threat-revived-after-chicago-arrest-ss-09 |title=Lashkar-e-Taiba threat revived after Chicago arrest |work=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]] |date=November 20, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091123124223/http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/03-lashkar-e-taiba-threat-revived-after-chicago-arrest-ss-09 |archive-date=November 23, 2009}}</ref><ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLC383495 INTERVIEW-French magistrate details Lashkar's global role], [[Reuters]], November 13, 2009</ref>
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| In a video released in 2008, American-born senior al-Qaeda operative [[Adam Yahiye Gadahn]] said that "victory in Kashmir has been delayed for years; it is the liberation of the jihad there from this interference which, Allah willing, will be the first step towards victory over the Hindu occupiers of that Islam land."<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/10/04/gadahn.video/index.html 'Azzam the American' releases video focusing on Pakistan], [[CNN]], October 4, 2008</ref>
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| In September 2009, a US [[Drone attacks in Pakistan|drone strike]] reportedly killed [[Ilyas Kashmiri]] who was the chief of [[Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami]], a Kashmiri militant group associated with al-Qaeda.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/12-us+drones+killed+two+terrorist+leaders+in+pak--bi-10 |title=US drones killed two terrorist leaders in Pak |work=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]] |date=September 17, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923225021/http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/12-us%2Bdrones%2Bkilled%2Btwo%2Bterrorist%2Bleaders%2Bin%2Bpak--bi-10 |archive-date=September 23, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Kashmiri was described by [[Bruce Riedel]] as a 'prominent' al-Qaeda member<ref>[http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2009/1215_terrorism_riedel.aspx Al Qaeda's American Mole] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110924002003/http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2009/1215_terrorism_riedel.aspx |date=September 24, 2011 }}, [[Brookings Institution]], December 15, 2009</ref> while others have described him as head of military operations for al-Qaeda.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20091019084848/http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009%5C10%5C15%5Cstory_15-10-2009_pg1_11 Ilyas Kashmiri alive, lays out future terror strategy], ''[[Daily Times (Pakistan)|Daily Times]]'', October 15, 2009</ref><ref>[http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-102709-rana-headley,0,5879769.htmlpage United States of America vs Tahawwur Hussain Rana], ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107012334/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-102709-rana-headley%2C0%2C5879769.htmlpage |date=January 7, 2014 }}</ref> Kashmiri was also charged by the US in a plot against [[Jyllands-Posten]], the Danish newspaper which was at the center of [[Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/04-ilyas-kashmiri-danish-plot-qs-04 |title=US charges Ilyas Kashmiri in Danish newspaper plot |work=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]] |date=January 15, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100118131229/http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/04-ilyas-kashmiri-danish-plot-qs-04 |archive-date=January 18, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> US officials also believe that Kashmiri was involved in the [[Camp Chapman attack]] against the CIA.<ref>[http://wayback.vefsafn.is/wayback/20100109051225/http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id%3D217152 US seeks Harkat chief for Khost CIA attack]{{cbignore}}, ''[[The News International]]'', January 6, 2010</ref> In January 2010, Indian authorities notified Britain of an al-Qaeda plot to hijack an Indian airlines or Air India plane and crash it into a British city. This information was uncovered from interrogation of Amjad Khwaja, an operative of [[Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami]], who had been arrested in India.<ref>[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6999959.ece Indian hijack plot caused new UK terror alert], ''[[The Times]]'', January 24, 2010</ref>
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| In January 2010, US Defense secretary [[Robert Gates]], while on a visit to Pakistan, said that al-Qaeda was seeking to destabilize the region and planning to provoke a nuclear war between India and Pakistan.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/03-al-qaeda-could-provoke-new-india-pakistan-war-gates-ss-02 |title=Al Qaeda could provoke new India-Pakistan war: Gates |work=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]] |date=January 20, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100123140217/http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/03-al-qaeda-could-provoke-new-india-pakistan-war-gates-ss-02 |archive-date=January 23, 2010}}</ref>
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| ===Internet===
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| Al-Qaeda and its successors have migrated online to escape detection in an atmosphere of increased international vigilance. The group's use of the Internet has grown more sophisticated, with online activities that include financing, recruitment, networking, mobilization, publicity, and information dissemination, gathering and sharing.<ref>{{cite web |first1=Timothy |last1=Thomas |url=http://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/03spring/thomas.pdf |title=Al Qaeda and the Internet: The Danger of Cyberplanning |date=February 14, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030326120423/http://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/parameters/03spring/thomas.pdf |archive-date=March 26, 2003}}</ref>
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| [[Abu Ayyub al-Masri]]'s al-Qaeda movement in Iraq regularly releases short videos glorifying the activity of jihadist suicide bombers. In addition, both before and after the death of [[Abu Musab al-Zarqawi]] (the former leader of [[al-Qaeda in Iraq]]), the umbrella organization to which al-Qaeda in Iraq belongs, the [[Mujahideen Shura Council (Iraq)|Mujahideen Shura Council]], has a regular [[web presence|presence on the Web]].
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| The range of multimedia content includes guerrilla training clips, stills of victims about to be murdered, testimonials of suicide bombers, and videos that show participation in jihad through stylized portraits of mosques and musical scores. A website associated with al-Qaeda posted a video of captured American entrepreneur [[Nick Berg]] being decapitated in Iraq. Other decapitation videos and pictures, including those of [[Paul Johnson (hostage)|Paul Johnson]], [[Kim Sun-il]], and [[Daniel Pearl]], were first posted on jihadist websites.{{citation needed|date=January 2019|reason=The whole paragraph}}
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| In December 2004 an audio message claiming to be from bin Laden was posted directly to a website, rather than sending a copy to [[Aljazeera|al Jazeera]] as he had done in the past. Al-Qaeda turned to the Internet for release of its videos in order to be certain they would be available unedited, rather than risk the possibility of al Jazeera editing out anything critical of the [[Saudi royal family]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2373884|title=Bin Laden Identifies Saudi Arabia as the Enemy of Mujahideen Unity|author=Scheuer, Michael|date=January 2008|work=Terrorism Focus|publisher=Jamestown Foundation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070625152714/http://jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2373884 |archive-date=June 25, 2007}}</ref>
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| [[Alneda]].com and Jehad.net were perhaps the most significant al-Qaeda websites. Alneda was initially taken down by American Jon Messner, but the operators resisted by shifting the site to various servers and strategically shifting content.{{citation needed|date=January 2019|reason=The whole paragraph}}
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| The US government charged a British information technology specialist, [[Babar Ahmad]], with terrorist offences related to his operating a network of English-language al-Qaeda websites, such as Azzam.com. He was convicted and sentenced to 12-and-a-half years in prison.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Whitlock|first1=Craig|author-link=Craig Whitlock|title=Briton Used Internet As His Bully Pulpit|work=The Washington Post|date=August 8, 2005|page=A1|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/07/AR2005080700890.html|access-date=September 4, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Babar Ahmad Indicted on Terrorism Charges|publisher=United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut|date=October 6, 2004|url=http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/ct/Press2004/20041006.html|access-date=May 29, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060526115318/http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/ct/Press2004/20041006.html|archive-date=May 26, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28335976|title=British cyber-jihadist Babar Ahmad jailed in US|work=BBC News|access-date=July 6, 2015}}</ref>
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| ====Online communications====
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| In 2007, al-Qaeda released ''[[Mujahedeen Secrets]]'', encryption software used for online and cellular communications. A later version, ''[[Mujahideen Secrets 2]]'', was released in 2008.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nytimes.com/2013/09/30/us/qaeda-plot-leak-has-undermined-us-intelligence.html|work=The New York Times|first1=Eric|last1=Schmitt|first2=Michael S.|last2=Schmidt|title=Qaeda Plot Leak Has Undermined U.S. Intelligence|date=September 29, 2013}}</ref>
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| ===Aviation network===
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| Al-Qaeda is believed to be operating a clandestine aviation network including "several [[Boeing 727]] aircraft", [[turboprops]] and [[executive jet]]s, according to a 2010 [[Reuters]] story. Based on a US [[Department of Homeland Security]] report, the story said al-Qaeda is possibly using aircraft to transport drugs and weapons from South America to various unstable countries in West Africa. A Boeing 727 can carry up to ten tons of cargo. The drugs eventually are smuggled to Europe for distribution and sale, and the weapons are used in conflicts in Africa and possibly elsewhere. Gunmen with links to al-Qaeda have been increasingly [[kidnapping]] Europeans for ransom. The profits from the drug and weapon sales, and kidnappings can, in turn, fund more militant activities.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Gaynor|first1=Tim|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60C3E820100113?type=politicsNews|title=Al Qaeda linked to rogue aviation network|work=Reuters|date=January 13, 2010|access-date=May 8, 2011}}</ref>
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| ===Involvement in military conflicts===
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| {{Multiple issues|{{Original research|date=August 2013}}
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| {{More citations needed section|date=April 2021}}}}
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| The following is a list of military conflicts in which Al-Qaeda and its direct affiliates have taken part militarily.
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| {|class="wikitable sortable"
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| |-
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| ! Start of conflict
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| ! End of conflict
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| ! Conflict
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| ! Continent
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| ! Location
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| ! Branches involved
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| |-
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| |align=center|1991
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| |align=center|ongoing
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| |[[Somali Civil War]]
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| |Africa
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| |Somalia
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| |[[Al-Shabaab (militant group)|Al-Shabaab]]
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| |-
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| |align=center|1992
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| |align=center|1996
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| |[[Civil war in Afghanistan (1992–96)|Civil war in Afghanistan (1992–1996)]]
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| |Asia
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| |[[Islamic State of Afghanistan]]
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| |Al-Qaeda Central
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| |-
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| |align=center|1992
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| |align=center|ongoing
| |
| |[[Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen]]
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| |Asia
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| |Yemen
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| |[[Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula]]
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| |-
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| |align=center|1996
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| |align=center|2001
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| |[[Civil war in Afghanistan (1996–2001)]]
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| |Asia
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| |[[Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan]]
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| |Al-Qaeda Central
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| |-
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| |align=center|2001
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| |align=center|ongoing
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| |[[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)]]
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| |Asia
| |
| |Afghanistan
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| |Al-Qaeda Central
| |
| |-
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| |align=center|2002
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| |align=center|ongoing
| |
| |[[Insurgency in the Maghreb (2002–present)]]
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| |Africa
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| |Algeria<br>Chad<br>Mali<br>Mauritania<br>Morocco<br>Niger<br>Tunisia
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| |[[Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb]]
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| |-
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| |align=center|2003
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| |align=center|2011
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| |[[Iraq War]]
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| |Asia
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| |Iraq
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| |[[Al-Qaeda in Iraq]]
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| [[Islamic State of Iraq]]
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| |-
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| |align=center|2004
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| |align=center|ongoing
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| |[[War in North-West Pakistan]]
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| |Asia
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| |Pakistan
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| |Al-Qaeda Central
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| |-
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| |align=center|2009
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| |align=center|ongoing
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| |[[Insurgency in the North Caucasus]]
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| |Asia
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| |Russia
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| |[[Caucasus Emirate]]
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| |-
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| |align=center|2011
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| |align=center|ongoing
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| |[[Syrian Civil War]]
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| |Asia
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| |Syria
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| |[[al-Nusra Front]]
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| |-
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| |align=center|2015
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| |align=center|ongoing
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| |[[Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen]]
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| |Asia
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| |Yemen
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| |[[Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula]]<ref name="al-Qaeda">{{cite news |title=Report: Saudi-UAE coalition 'cut deals' with al-Qaeda in Yemen |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/report-saudi-uae-coalition-cut-deals-al-qaeda-yemen-180806074659521.html |work=Al-Jazeera |date=6 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=US allies, Al Qaeda battle rebels in Yemen |url=http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/08/07/unite-with-devil-yemen-war-binds-us-allies-al-qaida.html |work=Fox News |date=7 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Allies cut deals with al Qaeda in Yemen to serve larger fight with Iran |url=https://www.sfgate.com/world/article/Allies-cut-deals-with-al-Qaeda-in-Yemen-to-serve-13135822.php |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=6 August 2018}}</ref>
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| |}
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| ==Alleged CIA involvement==
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| {{Main|Allegations of CIA assistance to Osama bin Laden}} Experts debate the notion al-Qaeda attacks were an indirect result from the American CIA's [[Operation Cyclone]] program to help the Afghan [[Islamic mujahid movement|mujahideen]]. [[Robin Cook]], British Foreign Secretary from 1997 to 2001, has written that al-Qaeda and bin Laden were "a product of a monumental miscalculation by western security agencies", and that "Al-Qaida, literally 'the database', was originally the computer file of the thousands of mujahideen who were recruited and trained with help from the CIA to defeat the Russians."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/terrorism/story/0,12780,1523838,00.html |title=The struggle against terrorism cannot be won by military means |author=Cook, Robin |work=The Guardian |location=UK |access-date=July 8, 2005 |date=July 8, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050710025703/http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0%2C12780%2C1523838%2C00.html |archive-date=July 10, 2005 |url-status=live }}</ref>
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| [[Munir Akram]], [[Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations]] from 2002 to 2008, wrote in a letter published in ''[[The New York Times]]'' on January 19, 2008:
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| {{quote|The strategy to support the Afghans against Soviet military intervention was evolved by several intelligence agencies, including the C.I.A. and Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI. After the Soviet withdrawal, the Western powers walked away from the region, leaving behind 40,000 militants imported from several countries to wage the anti-Soviet jihad. Pakistan was left to face the blowback of extremism, drugs and guns.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/19/opinion/lweb22pakistan.html|access-date=October 17, 2009|title=Pakistan, Terrorism and Drugs|department=Opinion|work=The New York Times|first1=Munir|last1=Akram|date=January 19, 2008}}</ref>}}
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| [[CNN]] journalist [[Peter Bergen]], [[Inter-Services Intelligence|Pakistani ISI]] Brigadier Mohammad Yousaf, and CIA operatives involved in the Afghan program, such as [[Vincent Cannistraro]],{{Citation needed|date=August 2021|reason=Citation needed for denial by Mohammad Yousaf and Vinvent Cannistraro/any other involved CIA operatives.}} deny that the CIA or other American officials had contact with the [[Afghan Arabs|foreign ''mujahideen'']] or bin Laden, or that the they armed, trained, coached or indoctrinated them. In his 2004 book ''[[Ghost Wars]]'', [[Steve Coll]] writes that the CIA had contemplated providing direct support to the foreign ''mujahideen'', but that the idea never moved beyond discussions.<ref>{{Harvnb|Coll|2005|pp=145-46, 155-56}}</ref>
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| Bergen and others{{who else|date=August 2021}} argue that there was no need to recruit foreigners unfamiliar with the local language, customs or lay of the land since there were a quarter of a million local Afghans willing to fight.<ref>{{Harvnb|Coll|2005|pp=145–46, 155–56}}.</ref>{{Failed verification|date=August 2021|reason=Referenced pages do not mention Bergen, this argument, or the quarter million figure. The pages actually state that bin Laden & others were recruiting Arabs "from across the Arab world" including from the US.}} Bergen further argues that foreign ''mujahideen'' had no need for American funds since they received several million dollars per year from internal sources. Lastly, he argues that Americans could not have trained the foreign ''mujahideen'' because Pakistani officials would not allow more than a handful of them to operate in Pakistan and none in Afghanistan, and the Afghan Arabs were almost invariably militant Islamists reflexively hostile to Westerners whether or not the Westerners were helping the Muslim Afghans.
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| According to Bergen, who conducted the first television interview with bin Laden in 1997: the idea that "the CIA funded bin Laden or trained bin Laden{{nbs}}... [is] a folk myth. There's no evidence of this{{nbs}}... Bin Laden had his own money, he was anti-American and he was operating secretly and independently{{nbs}}... The real story here is the CIA didn't really have a clue about who this guy was until 1996 when they set up a unit to really start tracking him."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/08/15/bergen.answers/index.html|title=Bergen: Bin Laden, CIA links hogwash|author=Bergen, Peter|publisher=CNN|access-date=August 15, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060821221916/http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/08/15/bergen.answers/index.html|archive-date=August 21, 2006|url-status=live}}</ref>
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| Jason Burke also wrote:{{quote|Some of the $500 million the CIA poured into Afghanistan reached [Al-Zawahiri's] group. Al-Zawahiri has become a close aide of bin Laden{{nbs}}... Bin Laden was only loosely connected with the [Hezb-i-Islami faction of the mujahideen led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar], serving under another Hezb-i-Islami commander known as Engineer Machmud. However, bin Laden's Office of Services, set up to recruit overseas for the war, received some US cash.<ref>{{cite news |title=Frankenstein the CIA created |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/jan/17/yemen.islam |work=The Guardian |date=17 January 1999}}</ref> }}
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| ==Alleged Saudi and Emirati involvement==
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| {{See also|Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen|Al-Qaeda in Syria}}
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| A CNN report has revealed that [[Saudi Arabia]] and the [[United Arab Emirates]] (UAE) have been handing out sophisticated American-made weapons to al-Qaeda-linked fighters in [[Yemen]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Saudi Arabia, UAE gave US arms to al-Qaeda-linked groups: Report |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/saudi-arabia-uae-gave-weapons-al-qaeda-linked-groups-cnn-190205055102300.html |work=al-Jazeera |date=5 February 2019}}</ref>
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| In October 2014, US Vice President [[Joe Biden]] said Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had "poured hundreds of millions of dollars and tens of thousands of tons of weapons into anyone who would fight against Al-Assad, except that the people who were being supplied were [[Al-Nusra Front|al-Nusra]], and al Qaeda, and the extremist elements of [[Jihadism|jihadis]] coming from other parts of the world."<ref>{{cite news |title=Joe Biden Is the Only Honest Man in Washington |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2014/10/07/joe-biden-is-the-only-honest-man-in-washington/ |work=[[Foreign Policy]] |date=October 7, 2014}}</ref>
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| ==Broader influence==
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| [[Anders Behring Breivik]], the perpetrator of the [[2011 Norway attacks]], was inspired by Al-Qaeda, calling it "the most successful revolutionary movement in the world." While admitting different aims, he sought to "create a European version of Al-Qaida."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2112701,00.html |title=Breivik Studied al-Qaeda Attacks |newspaper=Time |date=April 20, 2012 |access-date=May 8, 2012 |last1=Ritter |first1=Karl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525123005/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0%2C8599%2C2112701%2C00.html |archive-date=May 25, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/21/world/europe/norway-anders-breivik-studied-al-qaeda.html|title=Norway: Militant Studied Al Qaeda|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 20, 2012|access-date=May 8, 2012}}</ref>
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| The appropriate response to offshoots is a subject of debate. A journalist reported in 2012 that a senior US military planner had asked: "Should we resort to drones and Special Operations raids every time some group raises the black banner of al Qaeda? How long can we continue to chase offshoots of offshoots around the world?"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/will-obama-end-war-terror-63627|title=Will Obama End the War on Terror?|last1=Klaidman|first1=Daniel|date=2012-12-17|website=Newsweek|language=en|access-date=2020-02-12}}</ref>
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| ==Criticism==
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| {{Main|Khawarij}}
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| [[Islamic extremism]] dates back to the [[Kharijites]] of the 7th century. From their essentially political position, the Kharijites developed extreme doctrines that set them apart from both mainstream Sunni and Shiʿa Muslims. The Kharijites were particularly noted for adopting a radical approach to [[Takfir]], whereby they declared other Muslims to be unbelievers and therefore deemed them worthy of death.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/another-battle-with-islams-true-believers/article20802390/|title=Another battle with Islam's 'true believers'|work=The Globe and Mail}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/publications/free/the-balance-of-islam-in-challenging-extremism.pdf |title=The Balance of Islam in Challenging Extremism |access-date=November 17, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140802045255/http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/publications/free/the-balance-of-islam-in-challenging-extremism.pdf |archive-date=August 2, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/fruits-of-the-tree-of-extremism|title=Imam Mohamad Jebara: Fruits of the tree of extremism|first1=Mohamad|last1=Jebara|work=Ottawa Citizen}}</ref>
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| According to a number of sources, a "wave of revulsion" has been expressed against al-Qaeda and its affiliates by "religious scholars, former fighters and militants" who are alarmed by al-Qaeda's takfir and its killing of Muslims in Muslim countries, especially in Iraq.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bergen|Cruickshank|2008}}; {{Harvnb|Wright|2008}}. Quotes taken from {{Harvnb|Riedel|2008|pp=106–07}} and {{Harvnb|Bergen|Cruickshank|2008}}.</ref>
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| [[Noman Benotman]], a former militant member of the [[Libyan Islamic Fighting Group]] (LIFG), went public with an open letter of criticism to Ayman al-Zawahiri in November 2007, after persuading the imprisoned senior leaders of his former group to enter into peace negotiations with the Libyan regime. While Ayman al-Zawahiri announced the affiliation of the group with al-Qaeda in November 2007, the Libyan government released 90 members of the group from prison several months after "they were said to have renounced violence."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/AA64F530-BCA8-40B0-8226-22154CCD1032.htm|title=Libya releases scores of prisoners |publisher=English.aljazeera.net|date=April 9, 2008|access-date=March 22, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080718232829/http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/AA64F530-BCA8-40B0-8226-22154CCD1032.htm |archive-date=July 18, 2008}}</ref>
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| In 2007, on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks,<ref name="RebellionWright"/> the Saudi sheikh [[Salman al-Ouda]] delivered a personal rebuke to bin Laden. Al-Ouda, a religious scholar and one of the fathers of the Sahwa, the fundamentalist awakening movement that swept through Saudi Arabia in the 1980s, is a widely respected critic of jihadism.{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}} Al-Ouda addressed al-Qaeda's leader on television asking him:
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| {{quote|My brother Osama, how much blood has been spilt? How many innocent people, children, elderly, and women have been killed{{nbs}}... in the name of al-Qaeda? Will you be happy to meet God Almighty carrying the burden of these hundreds of thousands or millions [of victims] on your back?<ref name=theunraveling>{{Harvnb|Bergen|Cruickshank|2008}}.</ref>}}
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| According to Pew polls, support for al-Qaeda had dropped in the Muslim world in the years before 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/05/taking_stock_in_the_war_on_ter.html|title=Taking Stock of the War on Terror|publisher=Realclearpolitics.com|date=May 22, 2008|access-date=March 22, 2010}}</ref> Support of suicide bombings in Indonesia, Lebanon, and Bangladesh, dropped by half or more in the last five years.{{when|date=August 2018}} In Saudi Arabia, only ten percent had a favorable view of al-Qaeda, according to a December 2017 poll by Terror Free Tomorrow, a Washington-based [[think tank]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/12/17/saudi.poll/index.html|title=December 18, 2007 Poll: Most Saudis oppose al Qaeda|publisher=CNN |date=December 18, 2007|access-date=March 22, 2010}}</ref>
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| In 2007, the imprisoned [[Sayyed Imam Al-Sharif]], an influential Afghan Arab, "ideological godfather of al-Qaeda", and former supporter of takfir, withdrew his support from al-Qaeda with a book ''[[Sayyed Imam Al-Sharif#Rationalizing Jihad in Egypt and the World|Wathiqat Tarshid Al-'Aml Al-Jihadi fi Misr w'Al-'Alam]]'' ({{lang-en|Rationalizing Jihad in Egypt and the World}}).
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| Although once associated with al-Qaeda, in September 2009 [[Libyan Islamic Fighting Group|LIFG]] completed a new "code" for jihad, a 417-page religious document entitled "Corrective Studies". Given its credibility and the fact that several other prominent Jihadists in the Middle East have turned against al-Qaeda, the LIFG's reversal may be an important step toward staunching al-Qaeda's recruitment.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/11/09/libya.jihadi.code/ "New jihad code threatens al Qaeda"], Nic Robertson and Paul Cruickshank, [[CNN]], November 10, 2009</ref>
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| ===Other criticisms===
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| Bilal Abdul Kareem, an American journalist based in Syria created a documentary about [[Al-Shabaab (militant group)|al-Shabab]], al-Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia. The documentary included interviews with former members of the group who stated their reasons for leaving al-Shabab. The members made accusations of segregation, lack of religious awareness and internal corruption and favoritism. In response to Kareem, the [[Global Islamic Media Front]] condemned Kareem, called him a liar, and denied the accusations from the former fighters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jihadology.net/2017/06/06/new-release-from-the-global-islamic-media-front-lies-in-disguise-a-response-from-the-deep-heart-of-a-mujahid-of-the-lions-of-islam-in-somalia/|title=New release from the Global Islamic Media Front: "Lies in Disguise: A Response From the Deep Heart of a Mujāhid of the Lions of Islām in Somalia"|date=June 6, 2017}}</ref>
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| In mid-2014 after the [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]] declared that they had restored the [[Caliphate]], an audio statement was released by the then-spokesman of the group [[Abu Muhammad al-Adnani]] claiming that "the legality of all emirates, groups, states, and organizations, becomes null by the expansion of the Caliphate's authority." The speech included a religious refutation of Al-Qaeda for being too lenient regarding [[Shiites]] and their refusal to recognize the authority [[Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi]], al-Adnani specifically noting: "It is not suitable for a state to give allegiance to an organization." He also recalled a past instance in which [[Osama bin Laden]] called on al-Qaeda members and supporters to give allegiance to [[Abu Omar al-Baghdadi]] when the group was still solely operating in Iraq, as the [[Islamic State of Iraq]], and condemned [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]] for not making this same claim for Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Zawahiri was encouraging factionalism and division between former allies of ISIL such as the [[al-Nusra Front]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/isis-spokesman-declares-caliphate-rebrands-group-as-islamic-state.html|title=ISIS Spokesman Declares Caliphate, Rebrands Group as "Islamic State"|last=SITE|website=news.siteintelgroup.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://jihadology.net/2014/06/29/al-furqan-media-presents-a-new-audio-message-from-the-islamic-states-shaykh-abu-mu%E1%B8%A5ammad-al-adnani-al-shami-this-is-the-promise-of-god/|title=al-Furqān Media presents a new audio message from the Islamic State's Shaykh Abū Muḥammad al 'Adnānī al-Shāmī: "This Is the Promise Of God"|date=June 29, 2014}}</ref>
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| ==See also==
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| {{div col|colwidth=22em}}
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| * [[Al-Qaeda involvement in Asia]]
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| * [[Al Qaeda Network Exord]]
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| * [[Allegations of support system in Pakistan for Osama bin Laden]]
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| * [[Bin Laden Issue Station]] (former CIA unit for tracking bin Laden)
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| * [[Steven Emerson]]
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| * [[Fatawā of Osama bin Laden]]
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| * [[Iran and state-sponsored terrorism#Alleged Al-Qaeda ties|Iran - Alleged Al-Qaeda ties]]
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| * [[Islamic Military Alliance]]
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| * [[List of armed groups in the Syrian Civil War]]
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| * [[Operation Cannonball]]
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| * [[Psychological warfare]]
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| * [[Religious terrorism]]
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| * [[Takfir wal-Hijra]]
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| * [[Videos of Osama bin Laden]]
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| * [[Violent extremism]]
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| {{div col end}}
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| ===Publications===
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| * ''[[Al Qaeda Handbook]]''
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| * ''[[Management of Savagery]]''
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|
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|
| ==References== | | ==References== |
| {{Reflist}} | | {{reflist|colwidth=30em}} |
|
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|
| ==Sources== | | ==External links== |
| {{Main|List of books about al-Qaeda}}
| | * Council on Foreign Relations [http://www.cfr.org/publication/9126/ al-Qaeda] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100126085357/http://www.cfr.org/publication/9126/ |date=2010-01-26 }} |
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| ===Bibliography===
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| {{Refbegin|colwidth=20em}}
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| * {{Cite book |last1=Mura |first1=Andrea |url=https://www.routledge.com/products/9781472443892 |title=The Symbolic Scenarios of Islamism: A Study in Islamic Political Thought |publisher=Routledge |year=2015 |location=London}} | |
| * {{Cite book |last1=Al-Bahri |first1=Nasser |title=Guarding bin Laden: My Life in Al-Qaeda |publisher=Thin Man Press |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-9562473-6-0 |location=London |author-link=Nasser al-Bahri}}
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| * {{Cite book |last1=Atran |first1=Scott |title=Talking to the Enemy: Faith, Brotherhood, and the (un)making of Terrorists |publisher=Ecco Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-06-134490-9 |location=New York |author-link=Scott Atran}}
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| * {{Cite book |last1=Atwan |first1=Abdel Bari |url=https://archive.org/details/secrethistoryofa0000atwa |title=The Secret History of al Qaeda |publisher=University of California Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-520-24974-5 |location=Berkeley, CA |author-link=Abdel Bari Atwan |url-access=registration}}
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| * {{Cite book |last1=Atwan |first1=Abdel Bari |url=https://archive.org/details/afterbinladenalq0000atwa |title=After Bin Laden: Al-Qaeda, The Next Generation |publisher=Saqi Books (London)/ New Press (New York) |year=2012 |isbn=9780863564192 |location=London/New York |author-link=Abdel Bari Atwan |url-access=registration}}
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| * {{Cite journal |last1=Basile |first1=Mark |date=May 2004 |title=Going to the Source: Why Al Qaeda's Financial Network Is Likely to Withstand the Current War on Terrorist Financing |journal=Studies in Conflict and Terrorism |volume=27 |issue=3 |pages=169–185 |doi=10.1080/10576100490438237|s2cid=109768129 }}
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| * {{Cite book |last1=Benjamin |first1=Daniel |url=https://archive.org/details/ageofsacredterro00benj |title=The Age of Sacred Terror |last2=Simon |first2=Steven |publisher=Random House |year=2002 |isbn=0-375-50859-7 |edition=1st |location=New York |author-link=Daniel Benjamin}}
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| * {{Cite book |last1=Bergen |first1=Peter |url=https://archive.org/details/holywarincinside00berg_0 |title=Holy War, Inc.: Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden |publisher=Free Press |year=2001 |isbn=0-7432-3495-2 |edition=1st |location=New York |author-link=Peter Bergen}}
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| * {{Cite book |last1=Bergen |first1=Peter |title=The Osama bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of al Qaeda's Leader |publisher=Free Press |year=2006 |isbn=0-7432-7892-5 |edition=2nd |location=New York}}
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| * {{Cite news |last1=Bergen |first1=Peter |last2=Cruickshank |first2=Paul |date=June 11, 2008 |title=The Unraveling: The jihadist revolt against bin Laden |volume=238 |pages=16–21 |work=[[The New Republic]] |issue=10 |url=http://www.tnr.com/article/the-unraveling |access-date=May 4, 2011}}
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| * {{Cite book |last1=Bergen |first1=Peter |title=The Longest War: The Enduring Conflict between America and al-Qaeda |publisher=Free Press |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-7432-7893-5 |location=New York}}
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| * {{Cite book |last1=Bin Laden |first1=Osama |url=https://archive.org/details/messagestoworlds00binl |title=Messages to the World: The Statements of Osama bin Laden |publisher=Verso |year=2005 |isbn=1-84467-045-7 |editor-last=Lawrence |editor-first=Bruce |editor-link=Bruce Lawrence |location=London |author-link=Osama bin Laden}}
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| * {{Cite book |last1=Cassidy |first1=Robert M. |title=Counterinsurgency and the Global War on Terror: Military Culture and Irregular War |publisher=Praeger Security International |year=2006 |isbn=0-275-98990-9 |location=Westport, CT}}
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| * {{Cite book |last1=Coll |first1=Steve |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780141020808 |title=Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 |publisher=Penguin Books |year=2005 |isbn=0-14-303466-9 |edition=2nd |location=New York |author-link=Steve Coll}}
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| * {{Cite book |author-last=Dalacoura |author-first=Katerina |year=2012 |chapter=Transnational Islamist Terrorism: Al Qaeda |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PlTKrMFyawoC&pg=PA40 |title=Islamist Terrorism and Democracy in the Middle East |location=[[Cambridge]] |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |pages=40–65 |doi=10.1017/CBO9780511977367.003 |isbn=9780511977367 |lccn=2010047275 |s2cid=128049972}}
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| * {{Cite book |last1=Esposito |first1=John L. |title=Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2002 |isbn=0-19-515435-5 |location=New York |author-link=John L. Esposito}}
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| * {{Cite book |editor1-last=Gallagher |editor1-first=Eugene V. |editor2-last=Willsky-Ciollo |editor2-first=Lydia |editor1-link=Eugene V. Gallagher |year=2021 |chapter=Al-Qaeda |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Id4aEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA13 |title=New Religions: Emerging Faiths and Religious Cultures in the Modern World |location=[[Santa Barbara, California]] |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |volume=1 |pages=13–15 |isbn=978-1-4408-6235-9}}
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| * {{Cite book |last1=Gunaratna |first1=Rohan |title=Inside Al Qaeda |publisher=C. Hurst & Co. |year=2002 |isbn=1-85065-671-1 |edition=1st |location=London |author-link=Rohan Gunaratna}} | | * {{Cite book |last1=Gunaratna |first1=Rohan |title=Inside Al Qaeda |publisher=C. Hurst & Co. |year=2002 |isbn=1-85065-671-1 |edition=1st |location=London |author-link=Rohan Gunaratna}} |
| * {{Cite journal |last1=Hafez |first1=Mohammed M. |author-link=Mohammed Hafez |date=March 2007 |title=Martyrdom Mythology in Iraq: How Jihadists Frame Suicide Terrorism in Videos and Biographies |journal=[[Terrorism and Political Violence]] |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=95–115 |doi=10.1080/09546550601054873|s2cid=145808052 }}
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| * {{Cite book |last1=Hoffman |first1=Bruce |title=The New Terrorism: Anatomy, Trends, and Counter-Strategies |publisher=Eastern Universities Press |year=2002 |isbn=981-210-210-8 |editor-last=Tan |editor-first=Andrew |location=Singapore |pages=30–49 |chapter=The Emergence of the New Terrorism |author-link=Bruce Hoffman |editor-last2=Ramakrishna |editor-first2=Kumar}}
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| * {{Cite book |last1=Jansen |first1=Johannes J.G. |url=https://archive.org/details/dualnatureofisla00jans |title=The Dual Nature of Islamic Fundamentalism |publisher=Cornell University Press |year=1997 |isbn=0-8014-3338-X |location=Ithaca, NY |author-link=Johannes J.G. Jansen}}
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| * {{Cite news |last1=McGeary |first1=Johanna |date=February 19, 2001 |title=A Traitor's Tale |volume=157 |pages=36–37 |work=Time |issue=7 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,999237,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071121221657/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,999237,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 21, 2007 |access-date=September 15, 2009}}
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| * {{Cite book |last1=Napoleoni |first1=Loretta |url=https://archive.org/details/modernjihadtraci0000napo |title=Modern Jihad: Tracing the Dollars Behind the Terror Networks |publisher=Pluto Press |year=2003 |isbn=0-7453-2117-8 |location=London |author-link=Loretta Napoleoni |url-access=registration}}
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| * {{Cite book |last1=Qutb |first1=Sayyid |title=Milestones |title-link=Ma'alim fi al-Tariq |publisher=Kazi Publications |year=2003 |isbn=0-911119-42-6 |location=Chicago |author-link=Sayyid Qutb}}
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| * {{Cite book |last1=Rashid |first1=Ahmed |title=Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2002 |isbn=1-86064-830-4 |location=New Haven |author-link=Ahmed Rashid |orig-year=2000}}
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| * {{Cite book |last1=Reeve |first1=Simon |url=https://archive.org/details/newjackalsramziy00reev |title=The New Jackals: Ramzi Yousef, Osama Bin Laden and the Future of Terrorism |publisher=Northeastern University Press |year=1999 |isbn=1-55553-407-4 |location=Boston |author-link=Simon Reeve (UK television presenter)}}
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| * {{Cite book |last1=Riedel |first1=Bruce |url=https://archive.org/details/searchforalqaeda00ried |title=The Search for al Qaeda: Its Leadership, Ideology, and Future |publisher=Brookings Institution Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-8157-7414-3 |location=Washington, D.C. |author-link=Bruce Riedel}}
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| * {{Cite book |last1=Sageman |first1=Marc |url=https://archive.org/details/understandingter00sage |title=Understanding Terror Networks |journal=International Journal of Emergency Mental Health |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |year=2004 |isbn=0-8122-3808-7 |volume=7 |location=Philadelphia |pages=5–8 |pmid=15869076 |author-link=Marc Sageman |issue=1}}
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| * {{Cite journal|last1=Schmid|first1=Alex|date=2014|title=Al Qaeda's "Single Narrative" and Attempts to Develop Counter-Narratives|journal=Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Studies|doi=10.19165/2014.1.01|issn=2468-0664|doi-access=free}}
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| * {{Cite book |last1=Trofimov |first1=Yaroslav |url=https://archive.org/details/faithatwarjourne00trof |title=Faith at War: A Journey On the Frontlines of Islam, From Baghdad to Timbuktu |publisher=Picador |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-8050-7754-4 |location=New York |author-link=Yaroslav Trofimov}}
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| * {{Cite book |last1=Wechsler |first1=William F. |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/howdidthishappen00hoge/page/129 |title=How Did This Happen? Terrorism and the New War |publisher=PublicAffairs |year=2001 |isbn=1-58648-130-4 |editor-last=Hoge |editor-first=James |editor-link=James F. Hoge, Jr. |location=New York |pages=[https://archive.org/details/howdidthishappen00hoge/page/129 129–143] |chapter=Strangling The Hydra: Targeting Al Qaeda's Finances |editor-last2=Rose |editor-first2=Gideon |editor-link2=Gideon Rose}}
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| * {{Cite book |last1=Wright |first1=Lawrence |url=https://archive.org/details/loomingtoweralqa00wrig |title=The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 |publisher=Knopf |year=2006 |isbn=0-375-41486-X |location=New York |author-link=Lawrence Wright}}
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| * {{Cite news |last1=Wright |first1=Lawrence |date=June 2, 2008 |title=The Rebellion Within |volume=84 |pages=36–53 |work=The New Yorker |issue=16 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/06/02/080602fa_fact_wright?currentPage=all |access-date=September 15, 2009}}
| |
| {{Refend}}
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|
| |
| ===Reviews===
| |
| {{Refbegin}}
| |
| * {{Cite journal |last1=Akacem |first1=Mohammed |date=August 2005 |title=Review: Modern Jihad: Tracing the Dollars behind the Terror Networks |journal=[[International Journal of Middle East Studies]] |volume=37 |issue=3 |pages=444–445 |doi=10.1017/S0020743805362143|s2cid=162390565 }}
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| * {{Cite journal |last1=Bale |first1=Jeffrey M. |date=October 2006 |title=Deciphering Islamism and Terrorism |journal=[[Middle East Journal]] |volume=60 |issue=4 |pages=777–788}}
| |
| * {{Cite journal |last1=Shaffer |first1=R |date=2015 |title=The Terrorism, Ideology, and Transformations of Al-Qaeda |journal=Terrorism and Political Violence |volume=27 |issue=3 |pages=581–590 |doi=10.1080/09546553.2015.1055968|s2cid=147008765 }}
| |
| {{Refend}}
| |
|
| |
| ===Government reports===
| |
| {{Refbegin}}
| |
| * {{Cite web |title=Islamist Militancy in the Pakistan-Afghanistan Border Region and U.S. Policy |url=https://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/113202.pdf |last1=Kronstadt |first1=K. Allen |last2=Katzman |first2=Kenneth |date=November 2008 |publisher=[[U.S. Congressional Research Service]]}}
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| * {{Cite web |title=Global Al-Qaeda: Affiliates, Objectives, and Future Challenges |url=https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo41268 |date=July 18, 2013 |publisher=Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202233951/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-113hhrg81977/pdf/CHRG-113hhrg81977.pdf |archive-date=December 2, 2013}} [http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-113hhrg81977/pdf/CHRG-113hhrg81977.pdf Alt URL]
| |
| * {{Cite web |title=Progress Report on the Global War on Terrorism |url=https://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/rpt/24087.htm |date=September 2003 |publisher=[[United States Department of State]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030922090723/http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/rpt/24087.htm |archive-date=September 22, 2003 |ref={{harvid|State 2003}}}}
| |
| {{Refend}}
| |
|
| |
| ==External links==
| |
| {{Sister project links|auto=1}}
| |
| * {{cite web |publisher=U.S. Dept. of Justice |url=http://www.usdoj.gov/ag/trainingmanual.htm|title=Al Qaeda Training Manual |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050331091340/http://www.usdoj.gov/ag/trainingmanual.htm |archive-date=March 31, 2005}}
| |
| * [http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e1909?_hi=27&_pos=4 Al-Qaeda in Oxford Islamic Studies Online]
| |
| * [http://www.counterextremism.com/threat/al-qaeda Al-Qaeda], [[Counter Extremism Project]] profile
| |
| * [https://web.archive.org/web/20120505212905/http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/letters-from-abbottabad-bin-ladin-sidelined 17 de-classified documents captured during the Abbottabad raid and released to the Combating Terrorism Center]
| |
| * {{cite web |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501704_162-57427765/bin-laden-documents-at-a-glance/ |title=Bin Laden documents at a glance |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511070217/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501704_162-57427765/bin-laden-documents-at-a-glance |archive-date=May 11, 2012 }}
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| ;Media
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| * [[Peter Taylor (journalist)|Peter Taylor]]. (2007). "[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/age_of_terror/7306413.stm War on the West]". ''Age of Terror'', No. 4, series 1. BBC.
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| * [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/world/2001/war_on_terror/default.stm Investigating Al-Qaeda], [[BBC News]]
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| * {{Cite video|people=[[Adam Curtis]]|year=2004|title=[[The Power of Nightmares]]|publisher=BBC }}
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| * [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/front "Al Qaeda's New Front"] from ''[[PBS Frontline]]'', January 2005
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| * [https://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=zUUUS_wRKLo "Inside al Qaeda"]{{snd}}video report by [[National Geographic Channel|National Geographic]]
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| * {{Guardian topic|2=Al-Qaida}}
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| * {{NYTtopic|organizations/a/al_qaeda|al-Qaeda}}
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|
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| {{Osama bin Laden}}
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| {{al-Qaeda}}
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| {{Islamism}}
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| {{US War on Terror}}
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| {{Authority control}}
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|
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|
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Qaeda, Al-}}
| | [[Category:1980s establishments]] |
| [[Category:Al-Qaeda| ]] | | [[Category:Al-Qaeda| ]] |
| [[Category:Anti-communism in Afghanistan]]
| | [[Category:Rebel militia groups]] |
| [[Category:Anti-communist organizations]]
| | [[Category:Shiaphobia]] |
| [[Category:Anti-communist terrorism]]
| | [[Category:Sunni organizations]] |
| [[Category:Anti-Shi'ism]]
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| [[Category:Islam and antisemitism]]
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| [[Category:Antisemitism in Pakistan]]
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| [[Category:Antisemitism in the Middle East]]
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| [[Category:Antisemitism in the Arab world]]
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| [[Category:Anti-Zionism in the Middle East]]
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| [[Category:Anti-Zionism in the Arab world]]
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| [[Category:Anti-government factions of the Syrian civil war]]
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| [[Category:Islamic fundamentalism in the United States]]
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| [[Category:Islamic fundamentalism]]
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| [[Category:Islamist groups]]
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| [[Category:Islam-related controversies]]
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| [[Category:Jihadist groups]]
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| [[Category:Organisations designated as terrorist by Australia]]
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| [[Category:Organizations designated as terrorist by Canada]]
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| [[Category:Organizations designated as terrorist by China]]
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| [[Category:Organisations designated as terrorist by India]]
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| [[Category:Organizations designated as terrorist by Israel]]
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| [[Category:Organizations designated as terrorist by the United Arab Emirates]]
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| [[Category:Organisations designated as terrorist by the United Kingdom]]
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| [[Category:Organizations designated as terrorist by the United States]]
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| [[Category:Organizations designated as terrorist by Bahrain]]
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| [[Category:Organisations designated as terrorist by Iran]]
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| [[Category:Organizations designated as terrorist by Russia]]
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| [[Category:Organizations designated as terrorist by Saudi Arabia]]
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| [[Category:Organizations designated as terrorist by Turkey]]
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| [[Category:Organizations designated as terrorist by Paraguay]]
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| [[Category:Organisations designated as terrorist by Pakistan]]
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| [[Category:Organizations designated as terrorist in Asia]]
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| [[Category:1988 establishments in Asia]]
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| [[Category:Organizations established in 1988]]
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| [[Category:Pan-Islamism]]
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| [[Category:Rebel groups in Afghanistan]] | |
| [[Category:Rebel groups in Iraq]] | |
| [[Category:Rebel groups in Yemen]] | |
| [[Category:Rebel groups that actively control territory|Al-Qaeda]]
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| [[Category:Organizations designated as terrorist by Malaysia]]
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