History of al-Qaeda and Terrorism against the USA

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History of al-Qaeda and Terrorism against the USA
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What is al-Qaeda?

• Al Qaeda means the Base. It is a stateless
  (meaning without a country) terrorist
  organization.
• It is led and financed by Osama bin Laden, a
  radical Sunni Muslim.

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When did al-Qaeda form?

• The beginnings of al-Qaeda go back to the 1980s
  when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.

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Bin Laden, and the Arab Afghans, fought the
Soviet Union in Afghanistan

• The Soviet army left in 1988.

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Desert Storm (Gulf War I)

• In 1990, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein invaded the
  tiny, oil-rich country of Kuwait

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Operation Desert Storm

• The United States feared Saddam would invade
  Saudi Arabia too.

Iraqi tanks
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US and Saudi coalition

• The United States asked the Saudis for permission
  to establish military bases in their country.

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Saudis choice

• Osama bin Laden, back home from Afghanistan,
  offered the Saudis the use of his soldiers to
  fight the Iraqi army because Infidel armies have
  no place in the holy land of Islam.

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Saudis chose the USA and snubbed bin Laden.
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1991--Bin Laden leaves Saudi Arabia for Sudan
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USA in Somalia

• Dec. 4, 1992, George H.W. Bush sends 28,000
  American troops to Somalia.
• Bush wanted to help the Somali people since all
  attempts to send food to them were intercepted by
  war lords.

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Black Hawk Down!

• In 1993, 18 Americans died when their Black Hawk
  helicopter was shot down over Mogadishu, Somalia.

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al Qaeda?

• We think al Qaeda operatives taught the Somalians
  how to shoot down helicopters just like they did
  in Afghanistan against the Soviets.

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1993-The 1st World Trade Center bombing
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1993 WTC bombing
It killed 6 people and injured over 1000.
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May 1996 ---Sudan expels bin Laden, and he
returns too Afghanistan
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Afghanistan Was Run by the Taliban, A Violent
Local, Afghanistani Group Led By Mullah Omar
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The Taliban Did Not Plan the 9/11 Attacks, But
They Let Bin Laden Operate in Afghanistan and
Refused to Turn Him Over to the US
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1996 car bombing of Khobar Towers

• 19 Americans were killed and hundreds injured.

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Fatwa

• In August of 1998, Al Qaeda, led by bin Laden and
  Ayman Zawahiri declare war on American.

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Embassy bombings 1998

• Two American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were
  bombed simultaneously. 220 people were killed.

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Clinton responds.

• President Clinton, risking Wag the Dog
  criticism during the Lewinsky scandal, decided to
  attack al Qaeda in response.

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US sends missiles against Qaeda training camps in
Sudan and Afghanistan----to little effect.
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2000Millennium Attacks Foiled!

• Jordanian police halted 4 bombings
• Four al Qaeda terrorists arrested, crossing cross
  the Canadian border with nitroglycerin in his
  trunk. They set out to bomb LA International
  Airport.
• In Yemen, a boat with explosives tried to bomb a
  navy ship but sank due to being overloaded

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USS Cole attack Oct. 2000

• In Yemen, Al Qaeda operatives sent a suicide
  bomber aboard a small ship near the USS Cole and
  detonated its bomb, blowing a large hole in the
  US Navy ship. 17 sailors killed.

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World Trade Center (Twin Towers)
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• 2819 people were killed
• 343 firefighters and paramedics were killed

Khalid Sheik Muhhamad was the central Planner of
the 9/11. Most terrorists (at right) were from
Saudi Arabia. Note that Saudi Arabia is one of
Americas strongest Allies in the Middle East!
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Unintended Consequences Fear
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The Pentagon
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Damaged Area after 9/11
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Damaged area under reconstruction
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Shanksville PA Flight 93 crashes after
passengers attack highjackers
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Flight 93
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Flight 93 crash site
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Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on 9/11 The
Mysterious Plane Crash Site Without a Plane

• "This crash was different. There was no wreckage,
  no bodies, and no noise."- Somerset County
  Coroner Wallace Miller 1
• "I was looking for anything that said tail, wing,
  plane, metal. There was nothing."- Photographer
  Scott Spangler 2
• "I was amazed because it did not, in any way,
  shape, or form, look like a plane crash."-
  Patrick Madigan, commander of the Somerset
  barracks of the Pennsylvania State Police 3

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Review Quiz

• 1. The Soviet Union invaded what country in 1979
  where al Qaeda formed?
• 2. In the first Gulf War, what was bin Ladens
  objection regarding American troops in Saudi
  Arabia?
• 3.Was Osama bin Laden friends with Saddam Hussein
  of Iraq?
• 4. How was the WTC attacked in 1993?
• 5. What American embassies were bombed in 1998?
• 6. What Navy ship was bombed in 2000?
• 7. How many planes were hijacked on 9/11/2001,
  and what happened to each of them?
• 8 Name 3 Al Qaeda leaders.