Osama bin Laden

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

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