Al Qaeda
The 9/11 terrorist attacks prompted the United States government to declare “War on terrorism.” Various Islamist extremist terrorism groups claimed responsibility for the attacks, including Al Qaeda. Broadly speaking, Al Qaeda and other radical Islamic terrorist groups oppose US involvement in the Middle East and want to quash Western values and culture. What makes the “War on terror” relatively unique is that the enemy is not constrained by particular geographical boarders but is cut along ideological lines. The structure and internal organization of these terrorist groups pose unique challenges for the United States.
The origins of Al Qaeda date back to the early 1980s, when Usama Bin Laden formed the group in Afghanistan to combat the Soviet Union (Before the Subcommittee on International Operations and Terrorism, 2001). Bin Laden was a wealthy Saudi who financed Al Qaeda and recruited other members to join the Jihad (The 9/11 Commission Report, 2004). Soon, the triumph of Afghanistan paved the way for a “Jihad,” or Holy War (Before the Subcommittee on International Operations and Terrorism, 2001). In the late 1980s, committed to using violence and force to fight non-Islamic governments (Before the Subcommittee on International Operations and Terrorism, 2001).
One of the main goals of Al Qaeda was to force the United States out of Saudi Arabia and Somalia through use of force (Before the Subcommittee on International Operations and Terrorism, 2001). Leading Al Qaeda members instructed that attacks were both necessary and proper to further the group’s stated mission (Before the Subcommittee on International Operations and Terrorism, 2001). Al Qaeda viewed the United States as the “infidel” because the United States provided support to other governments that were not governed in a manner consistent with Al Qaeda’s extreme interpretation of Islam (Before the Subcommittee on International Operations and Terrorism, 2001).
ISIS
The Islamic State, also known as ISIS, is a terrorist group that has recently received a great deal of media attention. The group was born amidst the years of conflict and turmoil in Iraq and Syria (Blanchard and Humud, 2016, p. 1). While ISIS had its roots with Al Qaeda, it has since broken off and become a separate terrorist group and its leaders declare no affiliation to Al Qaeda (Blanchard and Humud, 2016, p. 7). In 2014, ISIS leaders stated that it was their mission to reestablish the caliphate (Blanchard and Humud, 2016, p. 7).
ISIS has recruited from many different countries. Groups in Algeria, Afghanistan, Egypt, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen have declared loyalty to the ISIS caliphate (Blanchard and Humud, 2016, p. 8). As a radical Islamic extremist group, the mission of ISIS is to eradicate from Islam what the group believes is idolatry and to preserve the views of who they deem to be true Muslims (Blanchard and Humud, 2016, p. 13).
What makes ISIS a particularly potent threat to the United States is its partners in Europe and the Middle East (Blanchard and Humud, 2016, p. 19). ISIS actively encourages its supporters to carry out attacks and undermine those governments that support the United States (Blanchard and Humud, 2016, p. 19). Since January 2015, ISIS has claimed responsibility for countless terrorist attacks outside of Syria and Iraq (Blanchard and Humud, 2016, p. 19). Leaders of ISIS vigorously promote attacking the United States and its allies, facilities, and interests by all possible means and at home (Blanchard and Humud, 2016, p. 19).
References
Before the Subcommittee on International Operations and Terrorism, Committee on
Foreign Relations, Senate (2001) (Testimony of J.T. Caruso). Retrieved from
https://www.fbi.gov/news/testimony/al-qaeda-international
Blanchard, C.M. and Humud, C.E. (2016). The Islamic State and U.S. Policy.
Congressional Research Service. Retrieved from
http://fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/R43612.pdf
The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist
Attacks Upon the United States, Executive Summary (2004). Retrieved from
http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Exec.htm
