al-Qaeda facts for kids

Al-Qaeda
القاعدة‎ Participant in   War on Terror Afghanistan conflict War in North-West Pakistan Somali Civil War Insurgency in the Maghreb Iraq War Iraqi insurgency Yemeni Civil War Syrian Civil War other conflicts
Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions
Active	11 August 1988 – present
Founder	Osama bin Laden  †
Leaders	Osama bin Laden  † (1988–2011) Ayman al-Zawahiri  † (2011–2022) Saif al-Adel (de facto; 2022–present)

al-Qaeda (pronounced al-KAI-duh) is a group that uses violence to achieve its goals. It was founded in 1988 by Osama bin Laden and others. The group believes in uniting the Muslim world under a single Islamic government.

Al-Qaeda has carried out attacks against different targets, including the 1998 United States embassy bombings and the September 11 attacks in the United States. Many international groups, like NATO and the UN Security Council, consider Al-Qaeda a terrorist group.

The group started in Peshawar in 1988. Its founders wanted to create a group to lead a global struggle, which they call jihad. When Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, Osama bin Laden offered help to Saudi Arabia. But Saudi Arabia chose to work with the United States instead. This led bin Laden to oppose both the Saudi government and the U.S.

From 1992 to 1996, al-Qaeda was based in Sudan. After being asked to leave, it moved to Afghanistan, which was then ruled by the Taliban. The group then grew to other parts of the world.

In 1998, al-Qaeda attacked U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, causing many deaths. The U.S. responded with military strikes. In 2001, al-Qaeda carried out the September 11 attacks, which resulted in nearly 3,000 deaths and had a huge impact worldwide. In response, the U.S. launched the War on terror and invaded Afghanistan to remove the Taliban and weaken al-Qaeda.

Osama bin Laden was killed by the U.S. military in 2011. After his death, Ayman al-Zawahiri became the leader until he was also killed by the U.S. in 2022. Today, al-Qaeda's central leadership has less control over its regional groups.

What Does the Name Al-Qaeda Mean?

The name al-Qaeda comes from an Arabic word that means "the foundation" or "the base." It can also be spelled as al-Qaida or al-Qa'ida.

The idea behind the name was first used by a scholar named Abdullah Yusuf Azzam in 1988. He described it as a group of Muslims who would fight to protect Muslims and establish Islamic law. Osama bin Laden later explained that the name came from a training camp they called "al-Qaeda."

Who Leads Al-Qaeda?

Osama bin Laden (1988 – 2011)

Osama bin Laden (left) and Ayman Al-Zawahiri (right) in 2001

Osama bin Laden was the first leader of al-Qaeda from its start in 1988 until he was killed in 2011. He was advised by a group of senior members.

After 2011

After bin Laden's death, Ayman al-Zawahiri became the leader in 2011. He was killed by the U.S. in 2022.

Since 2022, Saif al-Adel has been considered the acting leader of al-Qaeda. He is a former Egyptian army officer.

How Al-Qaeda Operates

Al-Qaeda has different groups that handle specific tasks:

• The Military Committee plans attacks and gets weapons.
• The Money/Business Committee helps fund the group through donations and other means.
• The Law Committee makes sure their actions follow their interpretation of Islamic law.
• The Islamic Study/Fatwah Committee issues religious statements.
• The Media Committee shares their messages through videos and other materials.

Al-Qaeda's Goals and Beliefs

Sayyid Qutb, an Egyptian scholar who inspired al-Qaeda

Al-Qaeda believes in a type of Islam that seeks to unite all Muslim countries under one large Islamic state, called a Caliphate. They want to remove all foreign and non-religious influences from Muslim countries.

Their main goals include:

• Spreading their ideas about jihad (a struggle or holy war) in the Muslim world.
• Training people for this struggle.
• Supporting other groups that share their goals.
• Working to unite these groups worldwide.

They believe that the United States and its allies are fighting against Islam. They also oppose laws made by people and want to implement sharia law (Islamic law) in Muslim countries.

The September 11 Attacks

Aftermath of the September 11 attacks

The most well-known attacks by al-Qaeda were the September 11 attacks in 2001. On that day, 19 al-Qaeda members hijacked four commercial airplanes. Two planes crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, causing them to collapse. A third plane hit the Pentagon near Washington, D.C.. The fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back against the hijackers.

These attacks killed 2,996 people, including civilians, firefighters, police officers, and military personnel. It was the deadliest attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor in 1941.

Designation as a Terrorist Group

Al-Qaeda is officially considered a dangerous group by many countries and international organizations, including:

Images for kids

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  Al-Qaeda militant in Sahel armed with a Type 56 assault rifle, 2012

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  Osama bin Laden (left) and Ayman al-Zawahiri (right) photographed in 2001

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  Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir interviewing Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, 1997

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  Sayyid Qutb, the Egyptian Islamist who inspired al-Qaeda

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  CIA-funded and ISI-trained Afghan mujahideen fighters crossing the Durand Line border to fight Soviet forces and the Soviet-backed Afghan government in 1985

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  Omar Abdel-Rahman

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  Anwar al-Awlaki

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  The scene of the October 2012 Aleppo bombings, for which al-Nusra Front claimed responsibility

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  1998 Nairobi embassy bombing

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  Aftermath of the September 11 attacks

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  US troops in Afghanistan

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  Khalid Sheikh Mohammed after his arrest in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, in March 2003

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  Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (formerly GSPC) area of operations

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  Front page of The Guardian Weekly on the eighth anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The article claimed that al-Qaeda's activity is "increasingly dispersed to 'affiliates' or 'franchises' in Yemen and North Africa."

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  USS Cole after the October 2000 attack

See also

In Spanish: Al Qaeda para niños