Al-Qaeda

Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countries, including the 1998 United States embassy bombings, the September 11 attacks, and the 2002 Bali bombings; it has been designated as a terrorist group by the United Nations Security Council, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the European Union, India, and various other countries.

The organization was founded in 1988 by Osama bin Laden and other volunteers during the Soviet–Afghan War. Following the withdrawal of the Soviets in 1989, bin Laden offered '' mujahideen'' support to Saudi Arabia in the Gulf War in 1990–1991. His offer was rebuffed by the Saudi authorities, which instead sought the aid of the United States. The stationing of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia prompted bin Laden to subsequently wage ''jihad'' against the United States. During 1992–1996, al-Qaeda established its headquarters in Sudan until their banishment from the region in May 1996. They shifted their base to the Afghanistan in the same year during the regime of the Taliban. Afterward, al-Qaeda expanded to other parts of the world, setting up bases primarily in Middle East and South Asia. Bin Laden issued two '' fatawas'' calling for U.S. troops to leave Saudi Arabia. Lack of response from the U.S. resulted in al-Qaeda conducting the 1998 United States embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, which resulted in deaths of more than 200 people. American forces retaliated by launching the Operation Infinite Reach, killing around 50 people. The operation was a tactical failure for the United States and boosted al-Qaeda's morale.

In 2001, al-Qaeda carried out the September 11 attacks, resulting in nearly 3,000 fatalities, substantial long-term health consequences and damaging global economic market. The United States immediately instigated the war on terror and invaded Afghanistan to depose the Taliban and terminate al-Qaeda. In 2003, the United States erroneously accused Iraq of having ties with al-Qaeda and invaded Iraq. In response to the United States war crimes in Iraq, al-Qaeda launched its Iraqi regional branch in 2004. After evading manhunt for almost a decade, the U.S. military killed bin Laden in May 2011. Bin Laden's deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri formally succeeded him and vowed to avenge the killing. After nearly a year of the conclusion of the War in Afghanistan, al-Zawahiri was killed by a U.S. drone strike in July 2022. Since the death of key leaders, al-Qaeda's operations shifted from top-down organization and planning of attacks, to the planning of attacks carried out by a loose network of associated groups and lone-wolf operators.

Al-Qaeda members believe a Christian-Jewish alliance (led by the United States) is conspiring to be at war against Islam and destroy Islam. As Salafist jihadists, members of Al-Qaeda believe that killing non-combatants is religiously sanctioned. Al-Qaeda also opposes what it regards as man-made laws, and wants to replace them exclusively with a strict form of ''sharīʿa'' ( Islamic religious law, which is perceived as divine law). It is also responsible for instigating sectarian violence among Muslims. Al-Qaeda regards liberal Muslims, Shias, Sufis, and other Islamic sects as heretical and its members and sympathizers have attacked their mosques, shrines, and gatherings. Examples of sectarian attacks include the 2004 Ashoura massacre, the 2006 Sadr City bombings, the April 2007 Baghdad bombings, and the 2007 Yazidi community bombings. Al-Qaeda characteristically organizes attacks including suicide attacks and simultaneous bombing of several targets. Al-Qaeda ideologues envision the violent removal of all foreign and secular influences in Muslim countries, which it perceives as corrupt deviations. Following the death of Osama bin Laden in 2011, the group was led by Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahiri until his death in 2022. As of 2021, it has reportedly suffered from a deterioration of central command over its regional operations.

Organization

Al-Qaeda only indirectly controls its day-to-day operations. Its philosophy calls for the centralization of decision making, while allowing for the decentralization of execution. The top leaders of Al-Qaeda have defined the organization's ideology and guiding strategy, and they have also articulated simple and easy-to-receive messages. At the same time, mid-level organizations were given autonomy, but they had to consult with top management before large-scale attacks and assassinations. Top management included the shura council as well as committees on military operations, finance, and information sharing. Through the information committees of Al-Qaeda, he placed special emphasis on communicating with his groups. However, after the War on Terror, Al-Qaeda's leadership has become isolated. As a result, the leadership has become decentralized, and the organization has become regionalized into several Al-Qaeda groups.

Many terrorism experts do not believe that the global jihadist movement is driven at every level by Al-Qaeda's leadership. However, bin Laden held considerable ideological sway over some Muslim extremists before his death. Experts argue that Al-Qaeda has fragmented into a number of disparate regional movements, and that these groups bear little connection with one another.

This view mirrors the account given by Osama bin Laden in his October 2001 interview with Tayseer Allouni:

however, Bruce Hoffman saw Al-Qaeda as a cohesive network that was strongly led from the Pakistani tribal areas.

Affiliates

Al-Qaeda has the following direct affiliates:

* Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
* Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS)
* Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)
* al-Shabaab
* Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM)
* Al-Qaeda in Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Al-Qaeda in Caucasus and Russia
* Al-Qaeda in Gaza
* Al-Qaeda in Kurdistan
* Al-Qaeda in Lebanon
* Al Qaeda in Spain
* Al-Qaeda in the Malay Archipelago
* Al-Qaeda in the Sinai Peninsula
* Guardians of Religion Organization
*Al-Qaeda in the Land of the Two Niles (AQTN).

The following are presently believed to be indirect affiliates of Al-Qaeda:

* Caucasus Emirate (factions)
* Fatah al-Islam
* Islamic Jihad Union
* Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
* Jaish-e-Mohammed
* Jemaah Islamiyah
* Lashkar-e-Taiba
* Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group

Al-Qaeda's former affiliates include the following:

* Abu Sayyaf (pledged allegiance to ISIL in 2014)
* Al-Mourabitoun (joined JNIM in 2017)
* Al-Qaeda in Iraq (became the Islamic State of Iraq, which later seceded from al-Qaeda and became ISIL)
* Al-Qaeda in the Lands Beyond the Sahel (inactive since 2015)
* Ansar al-Islam (majority merged with ISIL in 2014)
* Ansar Dine (joined JNIM in 2017)
* Islamic Jihad of Yemen (became AQAP)
* Jund al-Aqsa (pledged allegiance to ISIL in 2017)
* Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (merged with Al-Mulathameen to form Al-Mourabitoun in 2013)
* Rajah Sulaiman movement
* Al-Nusra Front (became Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and split ties in 2017, disputed)
* Ansar Bait al-Maqdis (pledged alliance to ISIL and adopted the name Sinai Province)

Leadership

Osama bin Laden (1988–May 2011)

Osama bin Laden served as the emir of Al-Qaeda from the organization's founding in 1988 until his assassination by US forces on May 1, 2011. Atiyah Abd al-Rahman was alleged to be second in command prior to his death on August 22, 2011.

Bin Laden was advised by a Shura Council, which consists of senior Al-Qaeda members. The group was estimated to consist of 20–30 people.

After May 2011

Ayman al-Zawahiri had been Al-Qaeda's deputy emir and assumed the role of emir following bin Laden's death. Al-Zawahiri replaced Saif al-Adel, had been killed in Pakistan.

Nasir al-Wuhayshi was alleged to have become Al-Qaeda's overall second in command and general manager in 2013. He was concurrently the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) until he was killed by a US airstrike in Yemen in June 2015. Abu Khayr al-Masri, Wuhayshi's alleged successor as the deputy to Ayman al-Zawahiri, was killed by a US airstrike in Syria in February 2017. Al Qaeda's next alleged number two leader, Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, was killed by Israeli agents. His pseudonym was Abu Muhammad al-Masri, who was killed in November 2020 in Iran. He was involved in the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanz