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 is a group that believes in a specific idea of Islam. They are a militant organization, which means they sometimes use violence to achieve their goals. They want to unite all Muslim countries under one big Islamic government, called a caliphate.

Al-Qaeda members believe that some countries, especially the United States, are fighting against Islam. They also do not like laws made by people. Instead, they want to follow sharīʿah, which is Islamic law, in Muslim countries.

Al-Qaeda has carried out attacks on different targets, including civilians, businesses, and military sites. Some well-known attacks include the 1998 US embassy bombings, the USS Cole bombing, and the September 11 attacks. Many international groups, like NATO and the UN Security Council, consider Al-Qaeda a terrorist group.

History of Al-Qaeda

How Al-Qaeda Started

The group Al-Qaeda was formed in 1988. This happened during meetings in a city called Peshawar. Key people involved were Abdullah Azzam, Osama bin Laden, Muhammad Atef, and Ayman al-Zawahiri. They were all veterans from the Soviet–Afghan War.

Where Al-Qaeda Was Based

From 1992, Al-Qaeda set up its main base in Sudan. However, they were forced to leave Sudan in 1996. After that, they moved their operations to Afghanistan, which was then ruled by the Taliban. Over time, Al-Qaeda grew and spread to other parts of the world, especially in the Middle East and South Asia.

In June 2001, Al-Qaeda joined forces with another group called Egyptian Islamic Jihad. They had worked together for many years before this. Their combined group was then called 'Qaeda al-Jihad'.

Leaders of Al-Qaeda

Osama bin Laden was the first leader of Al-Qaeda. He was killed on May 2, 2011. After his death, Ayman al-Zawahiri became the highest-ranking leader.

Another important leader, Abu Yahya al-Libi, was killed on June 4, 2012. This happened in a drone strike in Waziristan, a tribal area in Pakistan. At the time, he was the second most important leader after Ayman al-Zawahiri. The government of Pakistan protested to the United States about this strike.

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