Osama bin Laden

Osama (sometimes spelled Usama) bin Laden is one of the most famous terrorists in history, one of the founders and believed to be the leader of a group known as al Qaeda, that is credited with a series of terrorist attacks. He is a wealthy scion of a prominent Yemeni-Saudi construction entrepeneur.

Early life

Osama bin Laden's father had multiple wives, and he grew up with dozens of half-siblings. He is described as being religiously conservative, even when growing up. He and his siblings were exposed to the West. They went on group tours of Europe. Osama bin Laden worked in the family construction business as a young adult.

First trip to Afghanistan

Afghanistan was invaded by the Soviet Union in 1979. Foreigners traveled to Afghanistan, to help oust the Soviets in a manner similar to the foreign fighters who had traveled to Spain to fight during the Spanish Civil War during the late 1930s. Afghanistan was often described as the Soviet Union's Vietnam.

And the United States, through the CIA, aided the Afghans opposing the Soviets. The CIA provided funds, training, material. The USA is reported to have encouraged middle eastern governments to provide amnesty to their own extremists, providing they traveled to Afghanistan, to enlist in the anti-Soviet forces.

Osama bin Laden traveled to Afghanistan to help oust the Soviets. He is reported to have actively participated in at least some hostilities. While there he worked behind the scenes organizing logistics for the foreign fighters. He is reported to have been first the protege of Dr. Abdullah Azam, and then to have hijacked Azam's organization to form what is now known as "Al Qaeda".

Stay in Sudan

Following the ouster of the Soviet Union, and the collapse of the puppet Communist regime it left behind, the relative unity of the anti-communist militias dissolved into civil war. Some of the foreign fighters engaged in the civil war, with one Afghan militia, against rival Afghan militias. Some of the foreign fighters returned to their home countries. Some of the foreign fighters sought out other conflicts to engage in, where they perceived Muslims being oppressed by non-Muslims, such as Bosnia, Chechnya and Palestine. Some of the foreign fighters claim they were able to retire from hostilities, refrain from taking sides, and make a home in Afghanistan.

Osama bin Laden left Afghanistan after the ouster of the Soviets, and lived in Sudan. United States President Bill Clinton authorized an American air strike against a Sudanese pharmaceutical plant that Osama bin Laden had helped finance. Clinton asserted that American intelligence analysts had determined that the plant was being used to manufacture chemical weapons and biological weapons.

Return to Afghanistan

After the American government put pressure on the Sudanese government Osama bin Laden left Sudan and returned to Afghanistan. At the time of his return a new group, the Taliban, had established authority over most of Afghanistan. He put himself and his followers under the protection of the Taliban.

American intelligence analysts assert that Osama bin Laden was also courted by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of the rival militia Hezbi Islami Gulbuddin, and invited him to return to the areas of Afghanistan under his control.

In Afghanistan Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda organization is reported to have set up a dozens of Afghan training camps, where trainees received religious indoctrination and training to prepare them to engage in Jihad. Some of the alumnae of these training camps are reported to have gone on to commit terrorist acts.

The attacks of 9-11

Osama bin Laden is believed to have sponsored, and later claimed credit for the hijacking of four passenger jets, on September 11th, 2001. Two of the jets were crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City. One jet was crashed into the Pentagon. The last jet was crashed into a field in Pennsylvania, when the passengers rose up to retake it. It is believed that the hijackers planned to crash it into another prominent Washington building.

Osama bin Laden is credited with planning the September 9th, 2001 assassination of Shah Massoud, the leader of the Northern Alliance.

In response to the attacks of 9-11 the United States attacked Afghanistan. The United States called on anti-Taliban elements within Afghanistan to rise up to overthrow the Taliban. The United States commenced a wide-scale aerial bombardment. The United States inserted a limited number Special Forces troops, to serve as liaisons with the anti-Taliban forces.

The United States offered large bounties for the capture of Osama bin Laden, Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Taliban's leader, and Ayman al Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's deputy. Smaller bounties were offered for less senior Al Qaida and Taliban leaders. The United States offered bounties of $5,000 for the apprehension of anyone the captors claimed was a member of the Taliban. A bounty of $5,000 or $10,000 was offered for any foreigner in Afghanistan, on the theory that any foreigner could have been a member of al Qaeda.

Afghan militia leaders collected bounties for the capture of thousands of individuals they claimed were Taliban or al Qaeda members. But very few senior members of the Taliban or al Qaeda were captured.

It is widely believed that Osama bin Laden and the senior members of the Taliban were able to bribe the militia leaders the United States was counting on to capture them, and that they escaped into Pakistan's tribal areas, which border Afghanistan and are inhabited by the same Pashtun tribes who formed the core strength of the Taliban.

Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri remain in hiding. They release occasional videos.