The History of Al-Qaeda Terrorist Group - Research Paper Example

Al- Qaeda Introduction Terrorism is one of the greatest threats to international peace and security. Terrorist organizations are the main perpetrators of terror activities in many parts of the world. They plan, coordinate and execute terrorist attacks against their targets. The world’s most infamous terrorist organizations include Hama, Hezbollah, and al-Qaeda (Law, 2009). Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda surpassed the other terrorist groups to become the most infamous terrorist organizations in the world. While the death of its leader, Osama bin Laden, in May 2011 may complicate the future of the organization, it remains as one of the most dreaded terrorist group in the world with potential capacity of planning, coordinating, and executing terrorist activities in the world (Bergen, 2011). This paper will discuss the al-Qaeda terrorist group, its brief history, where it is located, what kind of activities they do, how they fund their activities, and what kind of attacks they do. The history of al-Qaeda can be traced to the uprising against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. During this uprising, there were thousands of volunteers from across the Middle East who came as mujahidin to Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda grew to be a more formidable organization in mid- 1980s; Osama bin Laden was the prime financier of the organization and he oversaw recruiting of Muslim from mosques across the world (Chaliand and Blin, 2007). The organization was able to bring together a mujahidin that numbered in thousands and was important in defeating Soviet forces against occupying Afghanistan. After successfully defeating the Soviets and prompting their withdrawal from Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden returned to Saudi Arabia, his native land. However, he was expelled from Saudi Arabia in 1991 because of his anti-government activities. This expulsion was instrumental to the rise of al-Qaeda. Osama bin Laden established al-Qaeda’s headquarters in Khartoum, Sudan (Bale, 2006). The group orchestrated terrorist attacks against American interests and servicemen in Somalia. Bin Laden issued a declaration of war against the United States in August 1996. The organization forged alliances with other radical groups with the view of bolstering its capacity to fight America’s interests and the Jews. Since then, al-Qaeda operates as a network that is comprised of radical Sunni Muslim movement, stateless and multinational army. It calls for a strict sharia law interpretation and global Jihad (Atwan, 2006). It is important to note that while al-Qaeda was virtually synonymous with Osama bin Laden, the organization had well-defined structure and leadership. After bin Laden’s death, he was succeeded by his top advisor, Al-Zawahiri (Bergen, 2011). The group’s leadership oversees organized network of cells. It coordinates recruiting of members from thousands of radicals and Arab Afghan around the world. Each of the group’s cells operates independently with the members of specific cell often not knowing the identity of other cells. Unlike traditional terrorist organizations, al-Qaeda does not rely on the sponsorship of political state (Nardo, 2010). It operates as a franchise and it provides logistical and financial support to terrorist groups operating in diverse places as the Algeria, Chechnya, Yemen, Kashmir, Somalia, Philippines, Afghanistan, and Eritrea. The organization is also located in Iraq where it is suspected to be responsible for a string of suicide-bomb attacks and kidnappings (Bale, 2006). The primary goals of this terrorist group are to drive American influence and Americans out of virtually all Muslim nations, particularly Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan; topple pro-Western dictatorships in the Middle East; and destroy Israel. The organization is also driven by Muslim fundamentalism that seeks to unite all Muslims and establish an Islamic nation (Law, 2009). In the year 1998, the organization made a religious decree that it was the duty of Muslims to wage Jihad or holy war against the Jews, United States, and American citizens. Its main ideology is “jihadism” which is identified with the willingness to kill. The organization seeks the restoration of Islam, as well as the establishment of Islamic states. It also aims to get rid of non-Muslim influences from the Muslim world (Chaliand and Blin, 2007). Al-Qaeda has various sources of funding – some of the group’s financing come from Osama bin Laden’s personal wealth, Islamic Jihad and Jamaa Al-Isamiyya ,which are both associated Egyptians based in Afghanistan. Investigations have also established that al-Qaeda receives funding from donations from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other Islamic countries, as well as obtaining funding income generated from heroin trade (Bergen, 2011). Al-Qaeda seeks to achieve its goals by inciting local resistance against external influences. In addition, the organization is employing the strategy of provoking the West and particularly the United States by staging string of attacks in those countries and against their interests around the world (Riedel, 2008). Besides, al-Qaeda is expanding the conflict by engaging the United States and its allies in a long war with the intention of weakening United States’ economy by subjecting it to a strain of multiple engagements. The main strategy of the organization to achieving its goals is by caring out attacks against its targets. It has carried out a number of attacks around the world (Law, 2009). In all the attacks it has been involved in, its leadership has been at the center of planning and coordinating. The first major terrorist attack carried out by the organization was on December 29, 1992 in Aden, Yemen in an attempt of eliminating American soldiers who were on their way to Somalia. The other notable attack by al-Qaeda was the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993 that killed six people and injured 1045 others. The organization was also involved in United States embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. September 11, 2001 attacks were the most devastating attacks carried out by the al-Qaeda; the attacks killed about 3,000 people and injured many others (Chaliand and Blin, 2007). Qaeda operatives carried out the attacks. They directed two commercial airlines into the World Trade Center towers, and another airliner into The Pentagon. In the year 2004, al-Qaeda executed the most horrific terrorist attack in Spain that killed 202 people and injured 1,400 others. In the year 2005, the group executed a terrorist bombing in London – there was explosion of four bombs in three subway stations and another one on a double-decker bus (Law, 2009). The London bombing killed at least 52 people and injured more than 700 people. Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility of the bombings and asserted that it was a retaliation attack for involvement of Britain in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (Akacem, 2005). In response to the September 11, 2001 attacks and other terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda, the United States has widened the war on terrorism. In particular, the United States invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 with the intention of dismantling the Taliban and Al-Qaeda (Nardo, 2010). The invasion led to the destruction of al-Qaeda’s infrastructure in Afghanistan, as well as the killing of its military commander, Muhammed Atef. The United States further widened terrorism war by deposing Saddam Hussein through an invasion in Iraq. In the wake of the terrorism threat posed by al-Qaeda, the United States, its allies and Western countries have stepped up their efforts of preventing terrorist attacks (Riedel, 2008). Conclusion Terrorism remains one of the primary threats to international peace and security. As discussed in this paper, Al-Qaeda is one of the most infamous terrorist organizations in the world. Since it was established, the organization has grown to include a network of Islamic extremists. As has been noted, this terrorist group has successfully succeeded in attacking military as well as civilian targets in different countries around the world. The main techniques employed by al-Qaeda include simultaneous bombings and suicide attacks of different targets. It has a well-defined structure and leadership. However, it s worth noting that following the death of Osama bin Laden the group is relatively weak and has not carried out any notable terrorist attacks in recent times. The organization’s main goal is to drive American influence and Americans out of all Muslim nations, topple pro-Western dictatorships in the Muslim countries, and to destroy Israel. References Akacem, M. (2005). Review: Modern Jihad: Tracing the Dollars behind the Terror Networks. International Journal of Middle East Studies 37(3): 444-445 Atwan, A. B. (2006). The secret history of al Qaeda. Berkeley: University of California Press. Bale, M. (2006). Deciphering Islamism and Terrorism. Middle East Journal 60(4): 777-788 Bergen, P. (2011). The Longest War: The Enduring Conflict between America and al-Qaeda. New York: Free Press. Chaliand, G., & Blin, A. (2007). The history of terrorism: From antiquity to al Qaeda. Berkeley: University of California Press. Law, R. D. (2009). Terrorism: A history. Cambridge: Polity Press. Nardo, D. (2010). The history of terrorism. Mankato, MN: Compass Point Books. Riedel, B. (2008). The Search for al Qaeda: Its Leadership, Ideology, and Future. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press. Read More