Osama bin Laden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Osama Bin Laden
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Osama bin Laden in the 1990s
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| Born |
Osama bin Mohammed bin A wad bin Laden
10 March 1957 |
| Died | 2 May 2011 (aged 54) |
| Cause of death | Shooting |
| Nationality | Saudi Arabian |
| Known for | Claimed responsibility for September 11 attacks |
| Height | 6'4" to 6'6" |
| Successor | Ayman al-Zawahiri |
| Spouse(s) | Amal al-Sadah (m. 2000–2011) Siham Sabar (m. 1987–2011) Khairiah Sabar (m. 1985–2011) Khadijah Sharif (m. 1983–1990) Najwa bin Laden (m. 1974–2001) |
| Children |
show all (20)
Abdallah
Saad Omar Hamza Abdul Rahman Amer Osman Mohammed Fatima Iman Laden Rukhaiya Nour Ali Safiyah Aisha Kadhija Khalid Miriam Sumaiya |
| Parent(s) | Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden, Hamida al-Attas |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  al-Qaeda |
| Years of service | 1988–2011 |
| Battles/wars | Soviet war in Afghanistan
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Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden (born March 10, 1957 – died May 2, 2011) was the founder of a group called al-Qaeda. This group was responsible for the September 11 attacks in the United States. They also carried out many other attacks that harmed civilians and military targets. Osama bin Laden was from Saudi Arabia and came from a very rich family.
He was born into the wealthy bin Laden family. His father was Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden, a billionaire. Osama studied in college in Saudi Arabia. In 1979, he went to Pakistan to join forces fighting against the Soviets in Afghanistan. He helped these fighters by sending them weapons, money, and people from Arab countries. This made him popular with many Arabs.
In 1988, he created al-Qaeda. He was forced to leave Saudi Arabia in 1992. He then moved his base to Sudan. But pressure from the United States made him leave Sudan in 1996. After setting up a new base in Afghanistan, he declared war against the United States. This led to a series of bombings and related attacks. The American Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) put bin Laden on their lists of most wanted people. This was because of his role in the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings.
From 2001 to 2011, bin Laden was a main target of the War on Terrorism. The FBI offered a $25 million reward for information leading to him. On May 2, 2011, bin Laden was killed. This happened inside a private house in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Members of the United States Navy and Central Intelligence Agency carried out the secret operation. It was ordered by U.S. President Barack Obama.
Contents
Understanding Osama bin Laden's Views
Bin Laden believed that following Sharia law would fix problems in the Muslim world. He thought other ideas like democracy were wrong. He also believed in using strong action to correct what he saw as unfair treatment of Muslims. He felt this unfairness came from the United States and other non-Muslim countries.
He wanted to remove the country of Israel. He also wanted the U.S. to leave the Middle East. Bin Laden saw Afghanistan, under the Taliban group, as the only true Islamic country. His ideas and actions led many to call him a terrorist.
How Osama bin Laden's Name Is Used
Osama bin Laden's name can be written in different ways. In Arabic, it is Usāmah bin Muhammad bin 'Awad bin Lādin. People often shorten it to Usama bin Laden.
Most English-language news uses "Osama bin Laden." This includes news channels like CNN and the BBC. The FBI and Fox News use "Usama bin Laden." Sometimes, his name is shortened to UBL.
His family, the bin Ladens, often use "Binladin" as a last name in the Western style. Their family company is called Binladin Brothers for Contracting and Industry. It is one of the biggest companies in Saudi Arabia. Bin Laden also had many other names and nicknames. These included "the Prince" and "the Emir."
Osama bin Laden's Marriages and Family
Bin Laden first got married when he was 17 years old. His first wife was his cousin, Najwa Ghanem, from Syria. She was about two years younger than him. They had 11 children together. Najwa left bin Laden just before the September 11 attacks.
He had several other wives after that. These included Khadijah, Khairiah, and Siham. His last wife was Amal. In total, he had 20 children from all his marriages.
The Death of Osama bin Laden
U.S. President Barack Obama ordered a special mission called "Operation Neptune Spear." In this mission, United States Special Operations forces raided bin Laden's hidden compound. This happened on the night of May 2, 2011, in Pakistan. Bin Laden was killed during this raid.
His body was later buried at sea on the same day. This was done so that there would be no grave site.
Images for kids
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Delta Force soldiers dressed as Afghan civilians. They were searching for bin Laden in November 2001.
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Bin Laden was in Afghanistan's White Mountains. This was before the U.S. attack in the Battle of Tora Bora.
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The FBI website showing bin Laden as deceased on the Most Wanted List on May 3, 2011.
See also
In Spanish: Osama bin Laden para niños
