Al-Qa'ida
Al-Qa'ida is a Salafi-jihadist global terrorist network founded in 1988 by Usama bin Laden and other Arab foreign fighters who fought against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. The group's primary objective is to establish a pan-Islamic caliphate by overthrowing Western-influenced Muslim regimes, expelling foreign forces from Muslim countries, and defeating Israel. It declared war on the United States and its allies in a 1998 fatwah, leading to major attacks including the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, and the 2000 USS Cole bombing in Yemen.
Following the deaths of Usama bin Laden (2011) and Ayman al-Zawahiri (2022), the group's central leadership has been weakened, but Al-Qa'ida remains a resilient network through its five key affiliates:
- Al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) – Based in Yemen; one of the most active affiliates.
- Al-Qa'ida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and its Sahel branch Jama‘at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) – Active in Mali, Algeria, and Libya.
- Al-Shabaab – Based in Somalia; targets the Somali government and Western interests.
- Al-Qa'ida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) – Operates in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
- Hurras al-Din (HaD) – Active in Syria.
These affiliates conduct attacks using suicide bombings, improvised explosive devices, kidnappings, and targeted assassinations. Al-Qa'ida also encourages homegrown violent extremists (HVEs) to carry out attacks in their home countries using readily available weapons. Despite diminished central control, the group continues to inspire and support global jihadist activity, with senior leaders like Sayf al-Adl and ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi operating from Iran and other safe havens.
The U.S. designated Al-Qa'ida as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 1999, and it remains on the UN Security Council’s sanctions list. Although the group has not conducted large-scale external operations in years, it is focused on rebuilding through regional franchises and exploiting instability in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia.
