Militant career of Osama bin Laden

Osama bin Laden was a militant leader who worked with others to create a group called al-Qaeda. He believed that countries like the United States should stop supporting Israel and remove their soldiers from certain places. In 1996 and again in 1998, he issued important religious rulings called fatawa to share these ideas.

Bin Laden was accused of being involved in bombings of U.S. embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, in 1998. Because of this, he was listed as one of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives.

Even though bin Laden said he was responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks in videos shared with the public, he was never officially charged in a court of law for those events.

Jihad in Afghanistan

See also: Egyptian Islamic Jihad and Jihad

Bin Laden used his money and connections to help Muslim fighters known as mujahideen who were fighting against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan after the Soviets invaded in 1979. He worked with his teacher, Abdullah Azzam, who lived in Peshawar, a city in Pakistan. From Peshawar, they organized support for the resistance.

After leaving college, bin Laden joined the fight against the Soviet forces and stayed in Peshawar for a time. He helped train new fighters and used his family's money to support them. By 1984, together with Azzam, he created an organization called Maktab al-Khadarat that provided money, weapons, and support for Muslim fighters from many countries. During this time, he also met Ayman al-Zawahiri, who later became a key partner in his work.

Alleged CIA involvement

Main article: Allegations of CIA assistance to Osama bin Laden

There has been much discussion about whether bin Laden and his group were a result of past actions by the CIA during Operation Cyclone to support fighters in Afghanistan. Some believe that Western security agencies helped create this situation.

However, journalist Peter Bergen says there is no proof that the CIA gave money or training to bin Laden. He notes that bin Laden used his own money, was against America, and worked in secret. The CIA only began closely tracking him in 1996.

Break with Azzam

Further information: Abdullah Yusuf Azzam

Osama bin Laden joined Abdullah Azzam's group, called the Services Bureau, which helped Arab fighters in Afghanistan during their war against Soviet forces. Bin Laden worked with Azzam on a magazine called Jihad Magazine, sharing news about the war and stories from fighters. Though their group was small, bin Laden helped set up a camp and fought in battles, including the Battle of Jaji, which made him known as a brave fighter.

Over time, Ayman al-Zawahiri encouraged bin Laden to leave Azzam. They disagreed about how the fight for their beliefs should be led. Azzam wanted a more careful approach, only fighting when enemies entered Muslim lands. Bin Laden, however, supported a broader strategy, aiming to challenge leaders across the Muslim world. This disagreement grew into a serious conflict, and bin Laden eventually split from Azzam. By 1988, he formed a new group called al-Qaeda, focusing on changing governments through strong actions.

Founding of al-Qaeda

Further information: al-Qaeda

By 1988, bin Laden decided to leave a group called Maktab al-Khidamat because they had different ideas about how to help fighters in Afghanistan. While the group focused on supporting Afghan fighters and helping refugees, bin Laden wanted to create a stronger military group where Arab fighters would be trained, equipped, and led by Arab commanders in battles.

In 1990, bin Laden returned to Saudi Arabia as a hero for his role in fighting against the Soviet Union. But around the same time, Iraq invaded Kuwait, and bin Laden was worried that non-Muslim troops from other countries would come to Saudi Arabia to fight Iraq. He spoke to a Saudi prince and offered to gather fighters to defend the country without needing help from other countries. However, his offer was refused, and he began speaking out against the presence of foreign military bases in Saudi Arabia. This made him unpopular with the Saudi government, who tried to stop him from speaking out.

Yugoslav wars (1991–1999)

Main article: Bosnian mujahideen

Further information: Yugoslav wars

During the conflicts in the early 1990s in a country called Yugoslavia, some people were concerned about safety. Reports suggested that certain groups, including some linked to a man named Osama bin Laden, might have been active in the area. There were claims that training places for fighters from different countries existed in villages and cities. Some individuals connected to these groups moved around Europe and were later involved in other activities.

There were also stories about meetings and support given to groups fighting in different parts of the region, like Kosovo and Macedonia. These reports talked about money being sent to help these groups, but the details are complex and involve many different countries and organizations.

In Sudan

Further information: Al-Qaeda involvement in Africa

With help from donations, Osama bin Laden set up a new base in Khartoum, Sudan. This base was used to share his ideas and find people to join his group from many parts of the world, including Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe, and the United States. He also started businesses, like a construction company that built roads and a farm that grew crops such as sorghum, gum Arabic, sesame, and sunflowers.

Bin Laden spoke out against the leader of Saudi Arabia and even sent many messages criticizing him. In response, in 1994, the Saudi leader took away bin Laden's citizenship and asked Sudan to not let him travel. Bin Laden’s family also stopped giving him money each month.

Later, bin Laden worked with a group called Egyptian Islamic Jihad. In 1995, this group tried to attack the president of Egypt but failed. After this, they were forced to leave Sudan, and bin Laden had to leave too. He traveled to Jalalabad, Afghanistan, where he started building connections for his network.

Refuge in Afghanistan

Sudanese officials wanted to send Osama bin Laden to Saudi Arabia in the mid-1990s, but the Saudis refused because they had taken away his citizenship. In May 1996, Sudan asked bin Laden to leave. He had to sell his things quickly and left with very little.

Bin Laden went back to Afghanistan, landing in Kabul and then staying in a place called the Nazim Jihad compound in Jalalabad. He was invited by Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, a leader of the Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan, who was part of the Afghan Northern Alliance. After a few months, bin Laden became close friends with leaders of Afghanistan’s new Taliban government, especially Mullah Mohammed Omar. He helped the Taliban with money and training.

In Afghanistan, bin Laden and his group got some money from people who had helped fight against the Soviet Union, and from the Pakistan ISI, who paid them to train fighters for battles in Kashmir. They used old training camps in Khost that the ISI helped return to their control.

Early aid for attacks

Osama bin Laden helped fund and support groups he believed were fighting against wrong doing. In 1989, while living in Saudi Arabia, he supported efforts against leaders in Yemen.

In the early 1990s, he sent money to groups in Algeria to fight against their government. Later, he was linked to a violent attack in Egypt meant to stop peace talks, and he also sent fighters to help the Taliban in Afghanistan take over a city. These actions led to many deaths and caused great harm.

Attacks on United States targets

It is believed that the first attack linked to bin Laden happened on December 29, 1992, when a bomb went off at the Gold Mihor Hotel in Aden, Yemen. The goal was to harm American troops, but they were staying at a different hotel. Sadly, the bombing hurt some people who were not soldiers.

In 1998, bin Laden and another leader signed a religious message calling for attacks on American civilians and soldiers. They wanted to free important religious places and push foreign armies out of Islamic lands.

After these events, the United States tried to stop bin Laden by freezing money linked to him and offering a reward for information. Later, the U.S. tried to attack him with missiles, but the attempt did not work and sadly caused the deaths of other people.

11 September attacks

Main articles: Responsibility for the September 11 attacks, Videos and audio recordings of Osama bin Laden, and September 11 attacks

The Government of the United Kingdom said there was strong proof linking al-Qaeda and bin Laden to the events of September 11, 2001. But the U.S. government never published a detailed report about this, and did not charge bin Laden for the attacks. Two older charges from 1998 were made against him for other terrorist actions, but not for September 11.

At first, bin Laden said he was not involved in the September 11 attacks, even though he praised them. Later, in messages shared with the public, he said he had planned the attacks. He said the reason was because of unfair actions by the United States and its allies against people in many places.