Origins of Al Qaeda - Research Paper Example

Introduction Al Qaeda, also referred to as al-Qaida is a global terrorist network, which has caused numerous deaths and insecurity around the world. For example, this terrorist organization is blamed for the 1998 twin attacks on American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, in east Africa, whereby more than 200 people lost their lives and 4000 others injured. Similarly, the group organized and executed multiple terror attacks in the US on September 11, 2001, whereby 4 passenger planes were hijacked and crashed into the twin towers of the world trade center and the pentagon, causing extensive damage to property and the death of close to 3000 innocent people (Burke, 2004). This paper is a critical evaluation of the origins of al Qaeda, whereby Osama bin laden will be discussed as the man behind its formation and its subsequent operations. The Soviet’s invasion on Afghanistan in 1979 will be discussed as the major contributing factor towards the formation of al Qaeda. The US will also be discussed as one of the countries that played a key role, through the CIA, in creating a strong foundation for the formation of al Qaeda. Discussion Al Qaeda is a terrorist organization, which was founded in 1988 by Osama bin laden, Abdullah Azzam and a section of leaders from the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) (Georgacarakos, 2011). It is believed that the American CIA, a security agency which was determined to protect the interests of the US, which were being threatened by Soviet occupation in Afghanistan, played a key role in facilitating the formation of al Qaeda. In order to understand this relationship, it is important to discuss the Soviet invasion, the role of the US and subsequent Afghan jihad. The Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979 under the invitation of Prime Minister Hazifullah Amin, who was seeking assistance to crush a rebellion masterminded by Mujahedeen. The Amin’s government had adopted a communist ideology which was highly opposed by the Afghans in addition to the fact that he had embarked on a mission to introduce a westernized form of governance, which was considered by Afghan populations as harsh towards Islam. The government had continued to harass and arrest Muslim leaders, forcing some to seek refuge in the mountains. However, the Soviets felt that Amin was not well suited to guarantee their interests in Afghanistan and in December 1979, Soviet commandos assassinated him after which Babrak Kamal was installed as the new leader. Kamal was weak based on the fact that he was directly imposed on the Afghans by the Soviets and therefore, he had no sufficient public support and it is also observed that majority of personnel in his army had deserted to join antigovernment forces such as Mujahedeen. Therefore, it was easy for the Soviets to manipulate him since they knew that without their support, there was no way that Kamal would have held onto power (Haunre, 2001). The Mujahedeen comprised of numerous individuals and Islamic organizations from different parts of the world, which had united under a common purpose, which was to drive out the Soviets from Afghanistan and to overthrow the secular government in order to install one that would strictly utilize the Sharia law (Georgacarakos, 2011). Contrary to the beliefs of many, this organization was loosely managed and it comprised of people raging from village men, young Muslims, and others, most of whom did not have military expertise or the urge to widen their mandate to incorporate militancy beyond Afghanistan. However, the Soviets did not want to acknowledge this important aspect and went ahead to classify it as a terrorist organization that required brutal mechanisms to crush it in favor of a legitimate government, which, ironically, was their puppet. The US had a long history of diplomatic misunderstandings with the Soviets. Furthermore, the idea of allowing communism to spread in any part of the word was one that the Americans could not entertain even though the country did not want to engage directly in this conflict. However, the fact that a direct military engagement by the US could not be adopted did not mean that there were no other channels that could be utilized to facilitate the defeat of the Soviets. In this regard, under the direct command of the then president Jim Carter and later Ronald Reagan, the US launched the Operation Cyclone, in which covert assistance was to be availed to the Mujahedeen, by the CIA, in order to strengthen and make it more efficient in realizing its objectives. Reports indicate that this operation is one of the most expensive covert actions that the US government has ever taken for such kind of a mission. It is believed that it cost the US approximately $30 million on yearly basis to maintain the operation but there are reports which indicate that this expenditure rose significantly to more than $600 million in 1987 (Haunre, 2001). This expenditure involved the training of Afghan Mujahids, equipping them with weapons, as well as for logistical purposes. However, this assistance was channeled through Pakistan, which was at that time under General Zia Ul Haq, who facilitated the US with the country’s Inter-Services Intelligence to assist in coordination, training and disbursement of military hardware (Haunre, 2001). The US did not want to be seen as the one which was supporting the Afghan Jihad and some reports indicate that the Mujahids were not aware that to some extent, they were fighting the soviets on behalf of the US. However, the US claims that even if it did not facilitate the rebels with this assistance, the Afghan jihadists would still have fought the Soviets to salvage their religion. It is important to note that Osama bin Laden was one of the many young Muslims, who came to Afghanistan to fight against the soviets. Osama was a 23 years old Saudi Arabian national, who came from a wealthy family and as such, he is noted as one of the major financiers of Mujahedeen besides the US and other rich individuals from both Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia. It is believed that at one time, Osama was among the people, who received combat training from US supported CIA and this shows that there was a time when he was a friend of the US despite the fact that these reports are disputable. Some of the reports quote Osama as having said that at no time during the war did he witness any assistance coming directly from the US. With all the above mentioned training, funding and tactical assistance, the Soviets had little chances of crushing the rebellion in Afghanistan and their forces were consequently forced to pull out of the country after conceding defeat in early 1989 (Haunre, 2001). Under normal circumstances, the pulling out of Soviets from Afghanistan would have facilitated a peaceful environment for the establishment of a legitimate government and the subsequent disarmament of Mujahedeen. However, Osama, having been involved in training and funding of the militant group felt that there was no need to dissolve the organization. Instead, he embarked on a mission to strengthen it for the purposes of future international Jihads. One way of achieving this was to establish a sustainable source of funding and it is notable that this was not a difficult task owing to the fact that in 1984, bin Laden together with a wealthy Palestinian, Abdullah Azzam, had already established the ‘Services Office’ or Maktab al-Khidamat (MAK), which they utilized to recruit fighters and to rally funds from Muslim organizations around the world (Georgacarakos, 2011). In 1988, Abdullah, Osama and Zawahiri had formed a secret organization, al-Qaeda, which they intended to utilize in extending non violent Jihad to other countries such as Israel, after successfully driving out the soviets and the then Afghan government (Burke, 2004). However, after the war had ended, Abdullah and Laden disagreed on how to proceed on the utilization of the wealth that MAK had accumulated, which was in terms of personnel, fire arms and other assets such as finances. The leader of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Zawahiri, and Osama wanted to utilize this wealth in extending Islamic Jihad to other parts of the world, in line with al Qaeda plans, while Abdullah wanted it to be utilized in continuing the fight for the restoration of an Islamic government in Afghanistan. It may be important to note that even after the Soviets had withdrawn from the country, the secular government remained in control for 3 more years before Mujahedeen could bring it down. In late 1989, Azzam was assassinated by unknown assailants and this gave Osama the opportunity to take full control of MAK, which he merged with al Qaeda (Georgacarakos, 2011). This meant that he had the authority to execute his and his associate’s plans without interference. In the same year, Osama went back to Saudi Arabia, his home country, in order to plan on his new mission. However, during this time, Iraq, under Saddam Hussein, was threatening to invade Kuwait, which neighbors Saudi Arabia and this posed a threat to the Saudi’s royal government. Osama, out of confidence, approached the King and offered to utilize his men, i.e. mujahedeen, to defend the interests of Saudi Arabia, instead of acquiring the help of western governments such as US. However, the king refused to accept his help and instead went ahead to allow the US military to set up a base in the country from where it would watch the activities of the Iraq forces. This angered Osama, the result of which he dissented publicly against the actions of the king claiming that the presence of US military in the land of two most holy places, Mecca and Medina, was an insult to Islam. Consequently, the government expelled him from Saudi Arabia after which he fled to Sudan, where he established a base for al Qaeda operations (Georgacarakos, 2011). It is from here that he facilitated the failed attempt to assassinate Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak in 1995. In 1993, al Qaeda had already begun its support for international violent jihad for example in Algeria, where Osama facilitated an Islamic Jihad, financially, resulting in the death of more than 100000 people. In 1998, Osama and Zawahiri declared jihad on the US as a result of its continued interference with conflicts in Islamic nations as well as its contribution to the partitioning of Palestine, which resulted to the formation of Israel (Burke, 2004). Since this time, al Qaeda has become one of the major security threats for the US and its associates around the world. Currently, the organization is believed to have active members in more than 50 countries around the world, including the UK and the US. Conclusion Al Qaeda is a terrorist organization, which was founded in 1988 by Osama bin laden, Abdullah Azzam and al-Zawahiri as a platform for continuing with Islamic Jihad after driving out the Soviets from Afghanistan. It is believed that without the Soviet invasion, al Qaeda could not be in existence. The Invasion angered a lot of Muslims around the globe and it is only natural that they reacted positively when they were called upon to join the Afghan Jihad under Mujahedeen. This brought on board Osama bin Laden, Abdullah Azzam, members of Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) among other radical Muslims, who contributed to the formation of MAK. The US provided financial assistance and tactical support, through the CIA and the Palestinian government, to mujahedeen without knowing that it was helping to bring up an organization that would later become a major threat to its national security. After the war ended in 1989, MAK transformed into al Qaeda and most of the members of Mujahedeen and EIJ declared their loyalty to it. With Osama on the helm, al Qaeda expanded its mandate to declare Jihad even against non Muslim nations, such as US, for interfering with the affairs of Islamic nations. References Burke, J. (2004). Al-Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror. I. B. Tauris Georgacarakos, M. (2011). The Origins of Al Qaeda's Ideology and It's Leader, Osama bin Laden. Webster's Digital Services Haunre, M. (2001). The Soviet War in Afghanistan. University Press of America Read More