Osama bin Laden

Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was a Saudi Arabian-born Islamist dissident and militant leader who was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda from 1988 until his death in 2011. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, he participated in the Afghan jihad against the Soviet Union and supported the activities of the Bosnian mujahideen during the Yugoslav Wars. Bin Laden is considered to have been the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks in the United States.
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Some of the key events about Osama bin Laden

  • 1971
    Established a construction company that became successful in Saudi Arabia
  • 1979
    Supported Afghan mujahideen against Soviet forces
  • 1979
    Joined the mujahideen forces in Afghanistan to fight against the Soviet occupation
  • 1984
    Co-founded Maktab al-Khidamat to recruit and support Arab volunteers in Afghanistan
  • 1988
    Formed al-Qaeda as an organization to continue jihad beyond Afghanistan
  • 1988
    Founded Al-Qaeda, a militant Islamist organization
  • 1989
    Returned to Saudi Arabia as a hero of the Afghan war
  • 1990
    Offered to defend Saudi Arabia with his mujahideen fighters
  • 1992
    Moved to Sudan and invested in agriculture and infrastructure projects
  • 1992
    Claimed responsibility for bombing a hotel in Yemen that killed two people
  • 1996
    Issued his first fatwa calling for action against perceived injustices
  • 1996
    Issued a fatwa calling for attacks on US military personnel
  • 1998
    Formed the "World Islamic Front for Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders"
  • 1998
    Orchestrated the bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing 224 people
  • 2000
    Planned the attack on the USS Cole in Yemen, killing 17 US sailors
  • 2001
    Became a globally recognized figure, albeit controversial, for his ideological stance
  • 2001
    Masterminded the September 11 attacks, resulting in nearly 3,000 deaths
  • 2004
    Released a video threatening further attacks on the United States
  • 2006
    Called for attacks on Western economies and oil companies
  • 2011
    Killed in a US special forces raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan

Disclaimer: This material is written based on information taken from open sources, including Wikipedia, news media, podcasts, and other public sources.

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