Meanwhile, some observers expressed concern that U.S.
At the same time, al-Qaeda increasingly utilized the Internet as an expansive venue for communication and recruitment and as a mouthpiece for video messages, broadcasts, and propaganda. With this organizational shift, al-Qaeda was linked-whether directly or indirectly-to more attacks in the six years following September 11 than it had been in the six years prior, including attacks in Jordan, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Israel, Algeria, and elsewhere. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Such grassroots independent groups-coalesced locally around a common agenda but subscribing to the al-Qaeda name and its broader ideology-thus meant a diffuse form of militancy, and one far more difficult to confront. invasion of Afghanistan, based in the Afghan-Pakistani border regions) but also by the localized, relatively autonomous cells it encouraged. Rather than significantly weakening al-Qaeda, however, these realities prompted a structural evolution and the growth of “franchising.” Increasingly, attacks were orchestrated not only from above by the centralized leadership (after the U.S. The invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 challenged that country’s viability as an al-Qaeda sanctuary and training ground and compromised communication, operational, and financial linkages between al-Qaeda leadership and its militants. Smoke and flames erupting from the twin towers of New York City's World Trade Center after the terrorist attacks on Septemboth towers subsequently collapsed. Thousands of militants were killed or captured, among them several key members (including the militant who allegedly planned and organized the September 11 attacks), and the remainder and their leaders were driven into hiding. government responded by attacking Taliban and al-Qaeda forces in Afghanistan. In 2001, 19 militants associated with al-Qaeda staged the September 11 attacks against the United States. warship Cole in Aden, Yemen (2000 see USS Cole attack). embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (1998), and a suicide bomb attack against the U.S. The organization established camps for Muslim militants from throughout the world, training tens of thousands in paramilitary skills, and its agents engaged in numerous terrorist attacks, including the destruction of the U.S. Shortly after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, bin Laden, who viewed the invasion as an act of aggression against Islam, began.Īl-Qaeda merged with a number of other militant Islamist organizations, including Egypt’s Islamic Jihad and the Islamic Group, and on several occasions its leaders declared holy war against the United States. This Time in History In these videos, find out what happened this month (or any month!) in history.Britannica Explains In these videos, Britannica explains a variety of topics and answers frequently asked questions.#WTFact Videos In #WTFact Britannica shares some of the most bizarre facts we can find.Demystified Videos In Demystified, Britannica has all the answers to your burning questions.Britannica Classics Check out these retro videos from Encyclopedia Britannica’s archives.