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What does Al Qaeda want?
Their goals are relatively simple. The want to drive Americans from Muslim holy lands and establish pan-Arabian, fundamentalist Islamic rule in every area worldwide that has a significant Muslim population. They want to destroy what they see as the profane influence of the West on all Muslims and all Muslim-populated areas. If that involves killing every “infidel” they run across, so be it.
What does Al Qaeda mean?
The term in Arabic simply means “the base” which refers to the concept that the organization should serve as a launching pad or base of operations for a global Islamic revolt against the West.
What is Al Qaeda’s history?
The organization grew out of the fundamentalist “Services Office,” which served as a clearing house for the International Muslim Brigade opposed to the 1979 Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan. Later in the 1980s, the Services Office – which was run by Osama Bin Laden – recruited, trained and funded thousands of foreign mujahedeen from more than 50 countries. Bin Laden wanted these trained fighters to continue their holy war after the Russians pulled out of Afghanistan, so he formed Al Qaeda in 1988 to control their activities. From 1991 to 1996, Al Qaeda operated out of Afghanistan and ran several terrorist training bases there. Our best guess these days is that the senior leadership is somewhere in the lawless tribal regions just inside Pakistan near the Afghanistan border area.
Is Al Qaeda active in Iraq?
Damn right it is. Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is a known Al Qaeda sympathizer who works his evil through a network of Al Qaeda operatives constantly on the move throughout Iraq. Zarqawi is believed to be behind many of the bombings and kidnappings in Iraq. He has claimed responsibility for the beheading of U.S. citizen Nick Berg in May of 2004.
Where else does Al Qaeda operate?
We don’t know for sure whether or not Al Qaeda has an actual headquarters anymore, but we do know they have autonomous cells in more than 100 countries around the world. So far, law enforcement officials have broken up cells in the UK, US, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Albania, Uganda and a number of other nations.
How big is Al Qaeda?
No one knows for sure…and that mystery is a part of their operating procedure. Best guess is that there are somewhere between several hundred to several thousand active members around the world.
Why do Al Qaeda supporters hate Americans?
It’s not because we are free and democratic. Al Qaeda opposes our presence in the Middle East and Arab holy lands, particularly any American presence in Saudi Arabia where Mecca is located. These people look down on Americans and other Westerners as infidels. They believe we are corrupting their holy places and ripping off their oil resources.
Is Al Qaeda connected to other terrorists groups? Which ones?
There are at least a dozen other terrorist groups around the world who claim direct links to Al Qaeda. These are some of the most notorious:
Ansar al-Islam: This is the core organization of al-Zarqawi and it’s members are considered among the most dangerous people in the world. This is the outfit that claims credit for most of the atrocities in Iraq.
Egyptian Islamic Jihad and Jamaat Islamiyya: Both of these outfits are based primarily in Egypt and have been active since the 1970s. Many of the top Al Qaeda leaders are Egyptians.
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan: Located in the north of Afghanistan, this lash-up is committed to establishing an Islamic fundamentalist state in Uzbekistan. They have closely embraced Osama Bin Laden’s anti-Western agenda.
Islamic Army of Aden: This is a Yemen-based unit that backs Al Qaeda’s goal of driving Westerners from the Arabian Peninsula. They are also bound and determined to overthrow the Yemeni government.
Abu Sayaf: This is the group that claims responsibility for murder and kidnappings in the Philippines. They are thought to be headquartered and most active on the island on Mindinao. They also operate throughout the Malay Peninsula.
Hezbollah: This is a radical Lebanese militia backed by Iran. They get their recruits and followers from minority Shiite Muslims. This is also the group that was responsible for the bombing on the U.S. Marine Battalion Landing Team headquarters in Beirut on 23 October 1983, killing 241 Americans.
Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (Libya and elsewhere in North Africa)
Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhamman (operating in Kashmir)
Salafist Group for Combat (Algeria)
Armed Islamic Group (Algeria)
Where is Osama Bin Laden?
We just don’t know. Best intelligence estimates are that he’s hiding somewhere in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area of Waziristan. We believe he moves regularly at night and only a few of his most-loyal partisans know where he is or where he’s headed.
Why haven’t we found him yet?
The people we need to finger this guy are ultra-loyal members of his inner circle and difficult to capture, turn or exploit for intelligence. Osama avoids using electronic devices such as radios or cell phones which could allow us to use our SIGINT/ELINT technology to locate him. He communicates with his minions primarily by couriers or videotaped messages distributed by messengers. We are focused on the Waziristan area and searching hard but the terrain is rugged, complex and shot through with caves and other hiding places that can’t be detected by aerial surveillance. It’s literally like looking for a needle in a haystack.
If we capture or kill Osama will that destroy Al Qaeda?
No. Al Qaeda can and would function without Osama Bin Laden. Killing OBL in combat would likely just elevate him to martyr status and his followers would fight on to avenge his death.
Can we tie Al Qaeda reliably to major attacks?
Hell yes. Try these on for size:
1998 – Bombing of U.S. Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
2000 – October surface craft attack on USS Cole in Yemen.
2001 – Aircraft hijacking attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center and on the Pentagon on 11 September.
2002 – Explosion of a fuel tanker truck outside a synagogue in Tunisia.
2002 – Car bomb attack in Mombasa, Kenya as well as a failed attempt to shoot down an Israeli commercial jet with a shoulder-fired missile in the same country.
2003 – Car bomb attacks on three expat residential compounds (the Khobar Towers) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Furthermore, we have good intelligence information that Al Qaeda surrogate groups carried out suicide attacks on Western interests in Casablanca, Morocco in May 2003. Such groups are also believed responsible for the nightclub bombing in Bali, Indonesia in October 2003. The outfit that detonated a truck bomb in the parking garage of the World Trade Center in 1993 was also linked to Al Qaeda.
Reliable information also indicates Al Qaeda was involved in the failed plot by Richard Reid to detonate a shoe-bomb on a transatlantic flight in 2001. They were also linked to the 1999 plot to set off an explosive device at LAX and a 1995 scheme to blow up 12 transpacific flights make by U.S. commercial carriers. Al Qaeda is also believed to be behind the 1995 plan to kill then-President Bill Clinton during a state visit to the Philippines and a 1994 plot to kill Pope John Paul II during a visit to Manila
