Taken together, that makes for an arc of chaos from North Africa to Central Asia. Afghanistan presents the worst tragedy yet. Long before the U. As far back as , one such camp near the Pakistani border required 63 coalition air strikes and a ground force of U. Nor is al-Qaeda alone in Afghanistan.
In May , a United Nations monitoring team estimated the number of foreign fighters in Afghanistan at 8, to 10, , including Arabs, Central Asians, and Uyghurs.
This combination—a hands-off approach from the U. When Osama bin Laden declared war on the U. His group at the time was well funded thanks to his own fortune, but al-Qaeda needed to distinguish itself from the many other terrorist groups based in Afghanistan. Attack America and provoke a response, bin Laden reasoned, and he would make himself even more of a hero among jihadis. But the U. Following the bombings of American embassies in East Africa, in which more than people died, the U.
Without precise intelligence to guide them, however, they destroyed only a kitchen, a mosque, and a bathroom block. The suicide attack on the U. KSM, as he is known in American law-enforcement and intelligence circles, made his way to Afghanistan in , around the same time bin Laden returned to the country.
KSM told bin Laden his plan as it then stood: buy small Cessna planes, load them with explosives, and fly them into U. Bin Laden thought the seemingly outlandish plan was, if anything, not ambitious enough, and instead suggested using fuel-laden commercial airliners as missiles. All 19 received valid U. Bin Laden has often coupled his "Islamic-unity" rhetoric with litanies of anti-Semitic statements, condemnations of Israel, and allegations of U. Following September 11, , Bin Laden has appealed directly to national groups on the front lines of robust counter-terrorism operations, particularly the populations of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iraq, and the Palestinian territories.
Although Bin Laden's ideological rhetoric has remained relatively consistent, he and other Al Qaeda leaders have placed varying levels of emphasis on specific strategic objectives and tactics in their statements over the years.
In statements addressed to U. Nevertheless, Al Qaeda's operational record seems to indicate that its leaders' commitment to specific national causes and limited political objectives are rhetorical tools designed to elicit support for their broader ideological agenda of confrontation with the West and puritanical reform in the Islamic world.
For example, Bin Laden's rhetorical treatment of the presence of U. In messages to regional audiences, Bin Laden and his deputies have characterized U. In his December statements, Bin Laden referred to the confrontation between the U. From a strategic perspective, statements from Al Zawahiri and others advocate for a phased struggle, in which the first goal is the expulsion of U. Overall, Al Qaeda leaders have displayed a pragmatic willingness to adapt the strategic and tactical content of their statements to changing circumstances while retaining a messianic commitment to their broader ideological agenda.
Although Bin Laden's self-professed goal is to "move, incite, and mobilize the [Islamic] nation" 58 until it reaches a revolutionary "ignition point," 59 Al Qaeda leaders' statements and Al Qaeda's attacks largely have failed to effectively mobilize widespread Muslim support for their agenda thus far.
Since late , however, public opinion polling and media monitoring in the Middle East and broader Islamic world indicate that dissatisfaction with the United States and its foreign policy has grown significantly within many Muslim societies. In light of this trend, Al Qaeda leaders' shift toward more explicitly political and ideological rhetoric seems to signal a direct attempt to broaden the movement's appeal, solicit greater financial and material support, and possibly inspire new and more systematically devastating attacks.
Some experts have argued however, that the uncompromising, anti-democratic tone of some public statements by Bin Laden and Al Zawahiri may alienate Muslims who oppose theocracy or who support secular or representative government. The anti-Shiite sectarian rhetoric of some Al Qaeda affiliates and the persistence of terrorist attacks that kill and maim Sunni and Shiite Muslims in Iraq also undermine Al Qaeda's appeal among some groups.
Experience suggests that Al Qaeda's leaders believe that regular attempts to characterize Al Qaeda's actions as defensive and religiously sanctioned will increase tolerance of and support for their broader ideological program.
The identification of limited political objectives and the implication that their fulfilment will resolve broader grievances may generate broader appeal than the group's underlying ideological agenda. Osama Bin Laden's truce proposals addressed to citizens of the United States and its European allies illustrate this trend, but the proposals' validity has been questioned due to ongoing attacks and continuing threats. Overall, Al Qaeda leaders' statements from the mids through the present indicate that they continue to see themselves and their followers as the vanguard of an international Islamic movement primarily committed to ending U.
Public statements addressed to regional and international populations will likely continue to play a prominent role in Al Qaeda's efforts to achieve its goals. Recent Al Qaeda messages have been produced by a dedicated studio, known as the Al Sahab.
Institute for Media Productions. For example, in Bin Laden's October pre-U. At the time, Bin Laden expressed no solidarity or sympathy for Saddam Hussein or his regime, explaining—"We, as Muslims, do not like the Iraqi regime but we think that the Iraqi people and their children are our brothers and we care about their future.
See Samuel P. The fatwa argued that defensive jihad was necessary "in order to liberate the al-Aqsa Mosque [Jerusalem] and the holy mosque [Mecca] from their grip [the U. By electing these leaders, the American people have given their consent to the incarceration of the Palestinian people, the demolition of Palestinian homes and the slaughter of the children of Iraq.
This is why the American people are not innocent. The American people are active members in all these crimes. Although portions of the text may reflect revised perspectives and the benefit of hindsight, its key statements of intent correspond to elements of prior statements by Osama Bin Laden and other Al Qaeda figures.
It was crowned by the announcement of Bush Jr. Has Shaykh Usama Bin Ladin not informed you that you will not dream of security until we live it in reality in Palestine and before all infidel armies leave the land of Muhammad, may peace be upon him? You however shed rivers of blood in our land so we exploded volcanoes of anger in your land Our message to you is crystal clear: Your salvation will only come in your withdrawal from our land, in stopping the robbing of our oil and resources, and in stopping your support for the corrupt and corrupting leaders.
Bin Laden described the stakes of the confrontation between coalition and jihadist forces in Iraq in the following terms: "The whole world is watching this war and the two adversaries; the Islamic nation, on the one hand, and the United States and its allies on the other.
It is either victory and glory or misery and humiliation. The nation today has a very rare opportunity to come out of the subservience and enslavement to the West and to smash the chains with which the Crusaders have fettered it.
Bin Laden: "The one who stays behind and fails to join the Mujahidin when Jihad becomes an individual duty commits a cardinal sin The most pressing duty after faith is repelling the aggressor enemy. This means that the nation should devote its resources, sons, and money to fight the infidels and drive them out of its lands. See also the Quran-Al Tawbah, The brothers in the group there should heed his orders and obey him in all that which is good.
Bin Laden urged followers to " These are the most important operations. Bin Laden sanctioned cooperation with Baathists "despite our belief in the infidelity of socialists. The Iraqi who joins this renegade government to fight against the Mujahidin, who resists occupation, is considered a renegade and one of the infidels, even if he were an Arab from Rabi'ah or Mudar tribes. Judging by statements made in the letter, Al Zawahiri largely shared Al Zarqawi's disdain for Shiite Muslims generally and Iraq's Shiite political groups in particular.
He questions the timing of Al Zarqawi's anti-Shiite operations because in his opinion, a majority of the Sunni community Al Qaeda is trying to mobilize on a region-wide basis do not feel as strongly or as negatively about Shi'ism or the Shiite community in Iraq. And similarly, the brothers in the Islamic State of Iraq must open their hearts to their brothers and listen to them and take what they throw them seriously, and at the same time, they must sincerely advise their brothers about the mistakes or shortcomings they see in them.
For example, Bin Laden has linked his opposition to insufficiently Islamic governance in Saudi Arabia to his view that under the Saudi monarchy, "absolute obedience and supremacy are given to the king and his laws, and not to God's religion. According to Bin Laden, Muslims have a right to participate in the selection of their rulers only under certain "conditions," namely the absence of occupying foreign powers and the presence of candidates willing to rule solely according to Islamic law.
Palestine is under occupation and its constitution is man-made and pagan, and Islam has nothing to do with it. Rights cannot be restored from a regime when the ruler becomes renegade or refuses to follow religion except by force. Al Zawahiri admits that he is "unable Be active and prevent them from reaching the oil, and mount your operations accordingly, particularly in Iraq and the Gulf for this is their fate.
According to Bin Laden, "Islam is one unit that can not be divided Topic Areas About Donate. Al Qaeda: Statements and Evolving Ideology February 4, — July 9, RL Al Qaeda leaders and affiliates have conducted sophisticated public relations and media campaigns since the mids. Download PDF. Download EPUB. Topic areas Intelligence and National Security. Summary Al Qaeda leaders and affiliates have conducted sophisticated public relations and media campaigns since the mids.
Introduction Al Qaeda leaders and affiliates have conducted sophisticated public relations and media campaigns since the mids using a series of faxed statements, audio recordings, video appearances, and Internet postings.
Al Qaeda: Statements Founding Principles Osama Bin Laden's experiences as a logistical coordinator and financier for the Afghan and Arab resistance to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan during the s are thought to have provided the backdrop for his belief that Muslims could take effective military action inspired by select Islamic principles. Al Qaeda Statements in Outreach and "Truce" Proposals In and , Bin Laden personally addressed the governments and citizens of Europe and the United States directly in an effort to discourage further support for their respective foreign policies in the Islamic world.
Iraq and Al Qaeda's Ideology Strategic Perspectives In December , Bin Laden identified the conflict in Iraq as "a golden and unique opportunity" for jihadists to engage and defeat the United States, and he characterized the insurgency in Iraq as the central battle in a "Third World War, which the Crusader-Zionist coalition began against the Islamic nation.
Tactical Differences? Additionally, Al Qaeda received funding from charities and many for-profit organizations and individuals have been accused of providing funds to the organization. In the months after the September 11th terrorist attacks, the U. Other nations, too, moved to shut down sources of Al Qaeda funding or money laundering, disrupting to an unknown extent the pre-September 11 funding network.
However, Al Qaeda does not need massive amounts of money to survive. After the U. The now-dispersed leadership began relying more heavily on the Internet to communicate to its members and the public. Soon, Al Qaeda shifted many of its activities to cyberspace.
The Internet compensated for the loss of a secure base and allowed Al Qaeda terrorists to disseminate information and communicate with each other in relative safety. Alone, in your home or with a group of your brothers, you too can begin to execute the training program. The program also includes video footage of terrorist attacks. Al Qaeda was founded in by Osama bin Laden to consolidate the international network he established during the Afghan war.
Its goals were the advancement of Islamic revolutions throughout the Muslim world and repelling foreign intervention in the Middle East. Together with Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood leader, Abdullah Azzam, bin Laden ran one of seven main militias involved in the fighting.
They established military training bases in Afghanistan and founded Maktab Al Khidamat, or Services Office, a support network that provided recruits and money through worldwide centers, including in the U. Bin Laden and Azzam had different visions for what to do with the network they had established. Bin Laden decided to found Al Qaeda, based on personal affiliations created during the fighting in Afghanistan as well as on his own international network, reputation and access to large sums of money.
The following year Azzam was assassinated. After the war ended, the Afghan-Arabs, as the mostly non-Afghan volunteers who fought the Soviets came to be known, either returned to their countries of origin or joined conflicts in Somalia, the Balkans and Chechnya.
Al Qaeda vociferously opposed the stationing of U. The ultimate goal of this campaign was to depose the Saudi royal family and install an Islamic regime on the Arabian peninsula. The Saudi regime subsequently deported bin Laden and revoked his citizenship in In bin Laden moved to Sudan, where he operated until During this period, Al Qaeda established connections with other terror organizations with the help of its Sudanese hosts and Iran.
While in Sudan, Al Qaeda was involved in several terror attacks and guerilla actions carried out by other organizations. In May , following U. Between and , Al Qaeda took part in several major terror attacks. Al Qaeda was involved in the bombing of two hotels in Aden, Yemen, which targeted American troops en route to Somalia on a humanitarian and peacekeeping mission.
It also gave massive assistance to Somali militias, whose efforts brought the eventual withdrawal of U. Bin Laden was also involved in an assassination attempt against Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak in Ethiopia in June Two major terrorist actions against the U. There is little evidence to suggest a significant connection between bin Laden and the first World Trade Center bombing in After moving to Afghanistan, bin Laden escalated his anti-American rhetoric. Subsequently, Al Qaeda escalated its war against the U.
In August , Al Qaeda bombed two U. In retaliation, the U. In October , Al Qaeda bombed the U. Cole, an American guided-missile destroyer at Aden, Yemen, killing 17 American servicemen.
It committed its most devastating attack on September 11, , when 19 Al Qaeda operatives hijacked four passenger planes and drove two into the Twin Towers in New York City and one into the Pentagon; a fourth plane crashed in rural Pennsylvania. Nearly 3, people were killed in the attack. According to this theology, the ideal man is the Muslim holy warrior who is prepared to be martyred for the sake of God and the Jews represent his opposite.
The battles currently being fought by Islamic terrorist groups may directly target the U. In the years since, Al Qaeda has also attempted to establish a foothold within Israel and the Palestinian territories; though so far with little success.
Indeed, several of the terrorists involved in the September 11th attacks were to a great extent motivated by their hatred toward Jews. Mohamed Atta and Ramzi Binalshibh, a key member of the Hamburg cell responsible for the attacks, considered New York City as the center for a global Jewish conspiracy, and Khalid Sheik Mohammed, who masterminded the attack, had previously developed several plans to attack Israeli and Jewish targets.
In their view, New York, as a center of world finance, was the quintessential Jewish target. Al Qaeda has been involved in a number of attacks on Jewish targets, including: an attack on a Jewish synagogue in Tunisia on April ; the coordinated bombing of an Israeli-owned resort and an attempt to down an Israeli airliner in Mombassa, Kenya on November ; an attack on several Jewish-associated targets in Casablanca, Morocco on April ; the bombing of two Jewish Synagogues in Istanbul on November ; and an attack on several tourist resorts in Sinai, Egypt that are popular with Israelis on October Several additional plots around the world have failed.
Al Qaeda was, like many in the Middle East, committed in principal to the liberation of all Muslim lands and holy places, among these the Palestinian areas and the Al Aksa mosque in Jerusalem, but it was busier attacking its primary target- America and did not direct any recourses toward attacking Israel or Jews. There are several explanations to what brought Al Qaeda and its affiliates to change their strategy to include Israel and the Jewish people among their strategic targets.
First, the terror campaign against Jews seems to have been initiated and timed by the leadership, as evident from declarations made by Al Qaeda leaders and spokesmen. At first, post-September 11th declarations in support of the Palestinians may have been motivated by need for popularity.
But in it became apparent that Al Qaeda had made an ideological and strategic shift, making its enmity toward Jews more central. Any country that steps into the same trench as the Jews has only herself to blame. Following the American invasion of Afghanistan, Al Qaeda has relied more on locally-based organizations. Attacking Jews also has an added propaganda value to Al Qaeda, which relies on the fact that anti-Semitic feelings are widespread in Muslim countries.
In effect, this has allowed Al Qaeda to increase its influence by helping to fund, train and direct smaller, more regionally-focused terrorist groups.
Following the toppling of the Taliban in by the U.
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