Anywhere from 20,000 to 60,000 people, most of whom were not native Afghans, received training and combat experience in Afghanistan. During the Afghan war, the Central Intelligence Agency provided roughly $500 million a year in material support to the Mujahedin, though there is no evidence that U.S. aid was given to bin Laden himself. In 1988, bin Laden, believing Azzam’s perspective to be too narrow and limited, broke with his ally to form Al Qaeda (The Base) and carry on his jihad on a worldwide scale. Azzam died in a car bombing in 1989, ostensibly carried out by his Afghan rivals.

With the withdrawal of the Soviet Union from Afghanistan, bin Laden returned to Saudi Arabia to combat what he saw as an infidel Saudi government. Further angered by the U.S. presence in Saudi Arabia accompanying the Gulf War, bin Laden became even more outspoken in his anti-regime rhetoric. With his immediate family and a band of followers, he moved to Sudan. His Saudi citizenship was revoked in 1994 for his opposition to the Saudi government. In Sudan, bin Laden established businesses, paved roads, built an airport, and created training camps to supply out-ofwork mujahedin with jobs. In 1996, as Sudanese relations with the United States improved, the government of Sudan asked bin Laden to depart. He then returned to Afghanistan where he established his ties with the Taliban movement, followed by training camps and a terrorist infrastructure. This infrastructure supported a number of plots against the United States and its citizens, including the bombings of the

African Embassies in 1998 and the September 11th, 2001 attacks. Also in 2001, Al Qaeda officially merged with Egyptian Islamic Jihad (see entry above). In 2001, American-led forces toppled the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Approximately half of the senior Al Qaeda leadership have been captured, the group’s previous communications network has apparently been crippled, and its Afghanistan base has been largely eliminated. But Al Qaeda appears to have gone through a transition, from a territorially-based, centrally-directed structure to a more decentralized, mission-driven organization. Attacks in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and elsewhere have reportedly demonstrated the involvement of indigenous groups linked to Al Qaeda and supported by its resources and/or technical advice. Osama bin Laden remains at large, and Al Qaeda is still considered a major threat to the United States.

Favored Tactics. Al Qaeda is most famous for its elaborate large-scale bombings, although the group has also engaged in assassinations, guerilla warfare, and suicide attacks. The group also provides support to other terrorist organizations and violent individuals throughout the world in the form of training, logistics, and financial grants. Al Qaeda has also shown interest and some capability in chemical and biological weapons, and interest in nuclear and radiological weapons.

Anti-American Activity. In February 1998, bin Laden issued a proclamation announcing the creation of his new organization The World Islamic Front for Jihad Against the Jews and Crusaders, which called on all Muslims to kill U.S. citizens and their allies (see above). Al Qaeda has been held directly responsible for or variously linked with numerous terrorist attacks against United States citizens and interests. These include but are not limited to: the August 1998 bombings of U.S. Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (at least 301 killed, 5,000 injured); the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole in the port of Aden, Yemen (17 killed, 39 injured); and the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania (approximately 3,000 people dead or injured).

Primary Areas of Operation. Al Qaeda is a network with global reach. Until the U.S.-led attack on Afghanistan, that country was Al Qaeda’s base of operation and held its logistical and training facilities. Many of Al Qaeda’s leaders have either been captured or have apparently fled to areas along the western border of Pakistan. Al Qaeda cells or collaborators have also been found in south Asia, southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the United States.

Strength and Composition. The exact size of Al Qaeda is unknown, though the group likely has several thousand fighters. The estimated number of people who trained in camps or fought in Afghanistan ranges from 20,000 to 60,000, but these are not all Al Qaeda "members." Many of Al Qaeda’s top leadership have been killed, and some estimates put the number of killed or captured Al Qaeda operatives since Sept. 11, 2001 at around 3,000. Some experts further believe Al Qaeda can best be described as an organization in transition. The losses of many of the group’s leaders and their base in Afghanistan have disrupted the organization, but experts fear that Al Qaeda’s structure, which fostered an entrepreneurial spirit in its lower-level fighters, can sustain the loss of senior leaders.

Connections with Other Groups. Groups known to have connections with Al Qaeda include: Islamic Group (Egypt), al-Jihad (Egypt), Armed Islamic Group (Algeria), Salafist Group for Call and Combat (Algeria), Abu Sayyaf Organziation (Philippines), Harakat al-Mujahedin (Pakistan), Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Islamic Army of Aden (Yemen), Asbat al-Ansar (Lebanon), al Ittihad Islamiya (Somalia), Jemaah Islamiya, and the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, among others.

State Supporters and Other Sources of Funding. Afghanistan under the Taliban was the primary state supporter of Al Qaeda that provided a safe-haven and allowed training camps to be established on its territory. Pakistan’s Interservice Intelligence Agency (ISI), through the support it gave to the Taliban, can be said to have provided indirect support for Al Qaeda activities; however, there is no evidence of direct support from the ISI to Al Qaeda. The Bush administration has also claimed that Iraq under Saddam Hussein had direct links to Al Qaeda, though their leverage and significance is subject to dispute.

During its early stage, Al Qaeda was funded by bin Laden’s personal fortune, estimated by Swiss sources at between $50-300 million. Today, Al Qaeda maintains legitimate businesses, solicits donations from supporters, and receives funds from donations to Muslim charitable organizations. Some front businesses date back to bin Laden’s time in the Sudan and include: a construction company, el- Hijrah for Construction and Development Ltd., that built a highway linking Khartoum to Port Sudan, and the el-Shamal Islamic Bank in Khartoum. Also, Al Qaeda is believed to have used ostrich farms and shrimp boats in Kenya, tracts of forest in Turkey, diamond trading in Africa and farms in Tajikistan to finance its operations.

Originally Designated as an FTO. Oct. 8, 1999.

Re-designated. Oct. 5, 2001.

Issues of Concern for Congress. This group continues to be an extremely serious threat to the United States and its allies. Given the global reach of Al Qaeda and its network, Congressional oversight of U.S. counterterrorism policy will continue to be important, not only in the military and intelligence fields, but also in foreign policy, law enforcement, international cooperation, public diplomacy, foreign homeland security, and other areas.