Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda (/ælˈkaɪdə, ˌælkɑːˈiːdə/; Arabic: القاعدة, romanized: al-Qāʿidah, lit. 'the Base', IPA: [alˈqaː.ʕi.da]) is a pan-Islamist militant organization led by Sunni Jihadists who self-identify as a vanguard spearheading a global Islamist revolution to unite the Muslim world under a supra-national Islamic state known as the Caliphate.[80][81] Its membership is mostly composed of Arabs, but also includes people from other ethnic groups.[82] Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian, economic and military targets of the US and its allies; such as the 1998 US embassy bombings, the USS Cole bombing and the September 11 attacks. The organization is designated as a terrorist group by NATO, UN Security Council, the European Union, and various countries around the world.
For other uses, see Al-Qaeda (disambiguation).Al-Qaeda
- Osama bin Laden †
(1988–2011) - Ayman al-Zawahiri †
(2011–2022) - Saif al-Adel
(de facto; 2022–present)
11 August 1988 – present
Former groups
AQI (2004–2006)
ISI (2006–2013)
Al-Nusra Front (2012–2017)
- Factions:
- Sunni Islamism[4][5][6][7]
- Pan-Islamism[8][9][10]
- Qutbism[6][11][12][4]
- Jihadism[13][14][15]
- Muslim unity[16][17][18]
- Sunni–Shia alliance[19][20][21]
- Islamic fundamentalism[22]
- Anti-Americanism[23]
- Anti-communism[24]
- Anti-imperialism[25][26]
- Anti-Hinduism[27][28]
- Anti-LGBT[29][30]
- Antisemitism[31][32][30][33][34][29]
- Anti-Western imperialism[35]
- Anti-Zionism[32][30][31]
- State allies:
Afghanistan (1996–2001, 2021–present)[53][54][55][56]
Iran (alleged, denied)[43][57][58][59][60]
North Korea (alleged)[61]
Pakistan (alleged, denied)[62][63][64]
Qatar (alleged, denied)[65]
Saudi Arabia (alleged, denied)[66]
- Ansar al-Islam
- Egyptian Islamic Jihad
Boko Haram (until 2015)
Pakistani Taliban
Turkistan Islamic Party
Hamas (sometimes)[67][68][69]
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Jaish-e-Mohammed
Harkat-ul-Mujahideen- Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami
Jemaah Islamiyah
Houthis (sometimes)[58]- Taliban[70][54]
Hezbollah (sometimes)[71]
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- State opponents:
Algeria
China[72]
Egypt
France
India- Iran (sometimes)[73][74][43]
Iraq
Israel
Lebanon
Russia- Saudi Arabia[75]
Somalia
Syria
Turkey[76]
United Arab Emirates[77]
United Kingdom
United States
Uzbekistan
Yemen
Afghanistan (1988–1992, 2002–2021)
Soviet Union (1988–1989)
- Islamic State
- Hezbollah (sometimes)
- Houthis (sometimes)[58][78]
Peshmerga
YPG
Southern Movement
- War on Terror
In Afghanistan In Tajikistan In Chechnya In Yemen In the Maghreb In Iraq In Pakistan In Somalia In Syria In Egypt In India
The organization was founded in a series of meetings held in Peshawar during 1988, attended by Abdullah Azzam, Osama bin Laden, Muhammad Atef, Ayman al-Zawahiri and other veterans of the Soviet–Afghan War.[83] Building upon the networks of Maktab al-Khidamat, the founding members decided to create an organization named "Al-Qaeda" to serve as a "vanguard" for jihad.[83][84] When Saddam Hussein invaded and occupied Kuwait in 1990, bin Laden offered to support Saudi Arabia by sending his Mujahideen fighters. His offer was rebuffed by the Saudi government, which instead sought the aid of the United States. The stationing of U.S. troops in Arabian Peninsula prompted bin Laden to declare a jihad against the Saudi Arabian rulers, whom he denounced as murtadd (apostates), and against the US. During 1992–1996, al-Qaeda established its headquarters in Sudan until it was expelled in 1996. It shifted its base to the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and later expanded to other parts of the world, primarily in the Middle East and South Asia. In 1996 and 1998, bin Laden issued two fatāwā that demanded the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Saudi Arabia.
In 1998, al-Qaeda conducted the US embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed 224 people. The U.S. retaliated by launching Operation Infinite Reach, against al-Qaeda targets in Afghanistan and Sudan. In 2001, al-Qaeda carried out the September 11 attacks, resulting in nearly 3,000 deaths, long-term health consequences of nearby residents, damaging global economic markets, triggering drastic geo-political changes as well as generating profound cultural influence across the world. The U.S. launched the war on terror in response and invaded Afghanistan to depose the Taliban and destroy al-Qaeda. In 2003, a U.S.-led coalition invaded Iraq, overthrowing the Ba'athist regime which they falsely accused of having ties with al-Qaeda. In 2004, al-Qaeda launched its Iraqi regional branch. After pursuing him for almost a decade, the U.S. military killed bin Laden in Pakistan in May 2011.
Al-Qaeda members believe that a Judeo-Christian alliance (led by the United States) is waging a war against Islam and conspiring to destroy Islam.[85][86] Al-Qaeda also opposes man-made laws, and seek to implement sharīʿah (Islamic law) in Muslim countries.[87] AQ fighters characteristically deploy tactics such as suicide attacks (Inghimasi and Istishhadi operations) involving simultaneous bombing of several targets in battle-zones.[88] Al-Qaeda's Iraq branch, which later morphed into the Islamic State of Iraq after 2006, was responsible for numerous sectarian attacks against Shias during its Iraqi insurgency.[89][90] Al-Qaeda ideologues envision the violent removal of all foreign and secularist influences in Muslim countries, which it denounces as corrupt deviations.[39][91][92][93] Following the death of bin Laden in 2011, al-Qaeda vowed to avenge his killing. The group was then led by Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahiri until his death in 2022. As of 2021, they have reportedly suffered from a deterioration of central command over its regional operations.[94]
Broader influence
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."[352][353]
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?"[354]
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