Arguably, Al Qaeda is the largest and most feared terrorist group in the world. However, it is presumed that its strength has decreased after the murder of its prominent leader, Osama Bin Laden by the U.S. government under President Barack Obama. The Taliban group is based in Afghanistan with affiliates across the world, especially in Islamic states. Al Qaeda is based on the Jihadist spirit of terrorism. Its growth was alarming until it threatened the U.S. government officials.
During the development of Al Qaeda, the Jihadist Behemoth is the point which raised concern to the U.S. government officials. It was the period between 1996 and 2001. It was a point characterized by high levels of bureaucracy and hierarchy. It was able to operate from safe hiding places in eastern and southern Afghanistan. It recruited new members and launched complex operations including the famous 9/11 attack (Gartenstein-Ross & Barr, 2018). It also gained more territory and affiliates. It developed training camps in explosives making, document forgery, and guerrilla warfare.
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In 1996, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed shared his plan with Laden to hijack planes and cause destruction of prominent buildings like the White House. However, it failed due to financial constraints. It was revisited in 1999, which was accepted since the Taliban group had got external funding. There were a series of similar attacks aiming to scope out American targets (Gartenstein-Ross & Barr, 2018). The 1998 American Embassy Bombings, the 9/11 operation, and the USS Cole attack were the most prominent and threatening attacks.
Consequently, in 2001, the U.S. invaded Afghanistan intending to defeat Al Qaeda and prevent the country from providing a terrorist sanctuary. It managed to dismantle the group's physical infrastructure and bureaucracy (Gartenstein-Ross & Barr, 2018). As a result, the Al Qaeda prominent leaders fled across South Asia and the Middle East. Some leaders of the group got arrested including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. The most momentous accomplishment of the U.S. government was the killing of Osama Bin Laden in 2011 in Pakistan. He was the founder and leader of the group; thus, his death weakened the group, and significant operations have not been experienced up to date.
Therefore, Jihadist Behemoth is the point which raised concern to the U.S. government officials during the development of Al Qaeda. It was after three major operations including the 9/11 operation, the American Embassy Bombings, and the USS Cole attack. This prompted the U.S. to invade Afghanistan, which resulted in the dismantling of bureaucracy and physical infrastructure. Some leaders were captured in the operation while others escaped. Notably, its initiator and frontrunner, Osama Bin Laden, got killed. Consequently, Al Qaeda’s activities were weakened with fewer operations reported.
References
Gartenstein-Ross, D. & Barr, N. (2018). How Al-Qaeda Works: The Jihadist Group’s Evolving Organizational Design. Retrieved from https://www.hudson.org/research/14365-how-al-qaeda-works-the-jihadist-group-s-evolving-organizational-design
