Al Qaeda- A Threat to Homeland Security

September 11, 2001 is a date so familiar with majority of the Americans. It is a day that shone the limelight on the then little known terrorist group, Al Qaeda. Terrorism, according to Freilich et al. (2009) can be understood as a systematic, unlawful and organized use of force. Terrorists enjoy and get an upper hand when their operations instill fear on populations as they advance their doctrines which are mostly political. Terrorists use violence, against members of armed forces or ordinary citizens and rely heavily on the media to generate emotions amongst viewers and survivors. According to Assadi and Lorunser (2007), terrorists would want to sustain an end at which populations would live in constant psychological torture which is inculcated into masses through fear. The target of terrorists is an end through which they intend to intimidate governments to give in to their demands which would otherwise go unheeded. This paper will focus on the philosophy that drives Al Qaeda and their desired end of state. Various past actions of the groups will be used to support claims raised in this paper. In the end, a strategy to mitigate potential and unconventional threats that Al Qaeda can utilize to adversely impact on security within the U.S. 

History of Al Qaeda

Muslims fighting in the Afghan War against the Soviets are the most possible origin of Al Qaeda according to Turner (2010). The group was important as a logistical network that was keeping the Muslims supplied during the Afghan war. Al Qaeda was not a single nation affair: it was a formation of people recruited and sourced from different Islamic dominated states neighboring Afghanistan. 1989 saw the Soviets end their aggression in Afghanistan and the group dispersed after the disappearance of their common enemy which was also their bond. They nevertheless continued to oppose the invasion of Islamic land by foreigners. As of 1990s, the group was actively based in Sudan where its leader, Osama bin Laden was staying. It then moved to Afghanistan under Taliban, another dreaded terrorist group. 

With the increase in the number of Islamic groups in different countries, Al Qaeda was able to merge all such groups from countries such as Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan and Al Qaeda among others. The merger of these numerous groups was to help them form a strong group that would oppose and mount a resistance against the U.S. Tens of thousands of militants from different parts of the world were trained by the group on paramilitary skills and some of them got commissioned to carry out attacks on U.S installations around the world, for instance, the U.S embassy in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in 1998. A U.S. warship, Cole also bore the brunt of the militants after it was attacked by a suicide bomber in Yemen. Rollins (2011), places Al Qaeda foundation as the engineering of Osama Bin Laden. 

Osama Bin Laden made clear his intentions when he carried out his most daring and audacious attack in the inland of America on September 11, 2001. The attack was the biggest and marked the high point of the terror group. It was also the event that would stage the group against America and have it drive towards the brink of destruction. The 9/11 event singled out the organization to the world leaders and it was time to take Osama Bin Laden seriously. To put this point across, more than 3,000 Americans had to lose their lives according to Vos, Rodríguez, Below and Guha-Sapir (2010). 

After the 9/11 attack, the U.S. responded in kind by launching attacks in Afghanistan to flush out militants. Thousands were killed or captured and the leaders of both Taliban and Al Qaeda went into hiding. Invading Afghanistan helped the U.S. mount a serious challenge for Al Qaeda since their training grounds were obliterated. As a response, Al Qaeda capitalized on the challenge by changing its structural organization by developing franchised units as reported by Mohamedou (2011). Using the new structural formation, orchestrating more scathing attacks became more possible since there was no reliance on a centralized leadership. Small groups which pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda and its ideologies presented a fresh challenge on the war on terror. Increased attacks, as reported by Mohamedou (2011) were (as a result of franchising) witnessed in countries like Jordan, the UK, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Kenya and Turkey including others. 

Philosophies Behind Al Qaeda 

Indispensable vanguard; this is a befitting description of Al-Qaeda’s ideology. It is the terrorist group that has pioneered multiple terrorism ideologies and has made people in their thousands accept difficult challenges as well as make enormous sacrifices for its sake. The vanguard involves Jihad. According to Bakker and Boer (2007) the ideology rides by making its members believe that Jihad is an obligation that every capable Muslim should undertake. They are made to believe that there are anti-Islam forces that exists, mostly led by the Western countries. As such, Al Qaeda manages to convince its targets to join the caravan. Bakker and Boer (2007) explain that the targets are promised rewards being part of Jihad. The rewards are said to be offered in heaven after martial death. This is the ideology that Osama used to launch and maintain his terrorists’ empire. 

The second ideology that Al-Qaeda uses is “the base.” The origins of ‘the base’ can be traced back to the war against Soviets in Afghanistan as the war was not perpetuated by nationalistic ideologies, but by Islamic ideologies. Osama managed to develop an ideology that claimed that Islam superseded nationalism and as such, he was able to capture the attention of willing people outside Afghanistan. He managed to convince his militants that the Western countries, led by the U.S. hate Islam and are capable of comprehending only one language; violence. Al Qaeda convinced its following that Western Countries, fight Islam using different mechanisms and weapons, for instance, physical war, the UN and relief agencies, western education, multinational corporations, and imposition of Western allied leaders in Muslim countries. Al Qaeda thus called for the establishment of Caliphate practices, to perpetuate Jihadist attacks against the West. 

Goals and Strategies of Al-Qaeda 

The ambitions of Al Qaeda are to install sharia rule in Muslim countries. To do this, Al Qaeda aims to topple its foes; the alleged Muslim governments that have been corrupted by the West. According to Jessee (2006), the main goal is to create a Pan-Islamic state. The strategy that Al Qaeda engineered is to have foreign forces in Muslim land evicted, most notably the Americans and Israeli. In Al Qaeda strategy, Israel should be replaced by Palestinian State. As such, Al Qaeda has promoted the use of violence against Americans and other forces that they consider foreign. Following this objective, Al Qaeda adopted the Jihad strategy and has left its ideologies open for subscription by any individual or group across the globe. By franchising the ideologies to groups and individuals with hatred against Americans and the western world, including Israel, Al Qaeda has been able to wage violent attacks in every continent as reported by Bapat (2018). Jihadist stands makes Al Qaeda militants perceive their actions as defense of Islam against any form of aggression. As such, the group requires its members to destroy the West and anything that is of importance to them. As mentioned at the beginning of this paper, violence is a strategy used by terrorists to coerce governments into submission to the demands of terrorists; Al Qaeda is no different. 

Terror Acts of Al Qaeda in the Past that can be Replicated in the Future

Al Qaeda has wagged their war for a considerable period and in many countries spread out across all the continents. To properly understand their specific actions, this paper will look at different events that have left the signature of Al Qaeda in a chronological order. 

Osama Bin Laden was born in 1957 and by 1984, he was funding the Office of Services in Pakistan which was established by Abdullah Azzaam to offer recruitment for militants wishing to join the Islamic army that was waging war against the Soviets in Afghanistan (Staff, 2011). In 1986, Osama started his training camp which was called Al Masadah and it is at this time that he initiated contact with radicals from Egypt such as Ayman Zawahiri. In Pakistan, his ideologies differed with Azzam as Osama was advocating for a global styled Jihad which would see Jihad moved outside the confines of Afghanistan. Azzam wanted Jihad restricted to Afghanistan. In 1989, Osama and other founders officially founded Al-Qaeda which had its operational headquarters as Pakistan and Afghanistan. In this same year, Abdullah Azzan was killed and his brain child, the Office of Services, started being sympathetic to extremists and Osama (CBS News, 2011). 

The next decade saw heightened operations by Osama and Al Qaeda. In 1993, Osama launched military training camps in Sudan and in the same year, Ramzi Yousef, a close associate of Osama planned and executed the bombing of the World Trade Center in New York and killed six people while injuring 1042 (CBS News, 2011). The same year saw Al Qaeda militants launch attacks against UN troops stationed in Somalia where 18 US troops were killed in the famous, ‘Black Hawk Down’.  1995 saw Al Qaeda make an attempt on the life of the then Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak when he was on a trip to Ethiopia. In the same year, Al Qaeda bombed a U.S military base in Saudi Arabia and at the end, seven people, including five Americans were dead. In the following year, 1996, Osama shifted bases from Sudan to Afghanistan and with the help of Iran, it reorganized (CBS News, 2011). To mark the success of the shifting of Osama’s base, Al Qaeda bombed a U.S. military facility in Dhahran and 19 American soldiers were left dead. In the same year, Taliban took over Afghanistan as its territory, a move that saw Osama and his group seek refuge from Taliban. In 1998, Al Qaeda orchestrated massive attacks by bombing American embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania where 231 people were left dead and more than 5,000 injured (CBS News, 2011). To retaliate, the U.S. launched air strikes in Sudan and Afghanistan where Osama escaped being hit at Zhawar Kili Al Badr training camp in Afghanistan. 

The new millennium did see Osama and his group renew their vigor and guts and would get as close as it has never been imagined. The year 2000 was ushered in by attacks on a U.S. war ship in Yemen where 17 soldiers were killed (CBS News, 2011). In 2001, Bin Laden released a video message which many see as a precursor for the 9/11 attacks. On September 11, 2001, Al Qaeda pulled off their greatest attack by attacking the World Trade Center and killed more than 3,000 people. The spokesman for Al Qaeda, Abu Ghaith made called for Jihad against the USA. The U.S. invaded Afghanistan. In 2002, Osama threatened Britain, Australia, and other European nations for being allied to the USA. The following year, 2003, war was declared against Iraq by the then U.S. President, George W. Bush. The same year saw Al Qaeda being blamed by Saudi Arabia for an attack that killed 17 people in Riyadh (CBS News, 2011). In 2004, there were bomb attacks in Madrid, Spain where 190 people were killed in commuter trains (CBS News, 2011). In 2004 still, Al Qaeda posted a video of their militants beheading an American. In the same year, a top Al Qaeda official was killed in Pakistan and Osama tool a direct claim on 2001 attack in the USA.  In 2006 and 2007 Osama releases a number of videos, all warning Americans and its allies as well as recommending a book for Americans to read. In 2009, an Al Qaeda militant blew up a Northwest Airplane. In 2011, under the leadership of President Obama, the United States closed the show for Bin Laden by having him killed in a daring commando raid in his hide out in Abbottabad, Pakistan (CBS News, 2011). 

Strategy to Mitigate Unconventional Threats by Al Qaeda 

It is easy to have the attacks described above by Osama replicated and improved. There is, therefore, a need for vigilance and pro-activeness on the side of American homeland security agents. This will ensure that there is enhanced security which will reduce the probabilities of such events occurring in the U.S. or on U.S. assets outside its borders. The advancement where individuals subscribe to ideologies and philosophies of Al Qaeda to use them as their own is complicating things especially the advent of lone wolfs who are now using unconventional weapons such as vehicles and knife attacks. 

With the types of attacks getting complicated over time, there the need to deploy unconventional methods both within and outside the U.S to counter threats. One method to do this, according to Cox (2017) is by ensuring the deployment of Special Operations Forces to foment insurgencies like Al Qaeda at the earliest possible time before such insurgencies get significant combat and operational capabilities. Using special ops also reduces collateral damage which has been a big source of controversy in the war against terror. Shaffer (2015), offers ideas on how to deal with lone wolves. To handle lone wolves, Shaffer (2015) explains that taming the spread of concepts that support terrorism through conventional media and social media is necessary. The lone wolf syndrome is a cultural element that is learnt from immediate surroundings which encompass political, social, and international events. The government should curtail the spreading of material that is radicalizing especially from film, books, and different elements. Votel, Cleveland, Connett, and Irwin (2016) explain that use of local resources and forces is critical in the handling and obliteration of insurgents held in unconventional areas. 

Conclusion 

It has been established that terrorism is an element that changes very fast to become a force worth considering. As it has been described, Al Qaeda metamorphosed into a global force that has caused thousands of deaths and wanton destruction of facilities, assets, and infrastructure. The fast rate of change calls for a faster evolution of capabilities to handle terrorism. 

References

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CBS News. (2011). TIMELINE: Key events in the history of al-Qaeda. CBS News Website. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/timeline-key-events-in-the-history-of-al-qaeda-1.1070653

Bapat, N. A. (2018). The Al-Qaeda Franchise: The Expansion of Al-Qaeda and Its Consequences. By Barak Mendelsohn. New York: Oxford University Press, 2016. 288p. $29.95 paper. Perspectives on Politics, 16(2), 580-581.

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Mohamedou, M.-M. (2011). The Rise and Fall of Al Qaeda. GCSP Geneva Papers.

Shaffer, R. (2015). Unconventional Views of Terrorism: Culture, Objectives, and the Future. Terrorism and Political Violence, 27(5), 970-975.

Staff, C. W. (2011). Timeline: Osama bin Laden, over the years. CNN.

Turner, J. (2010). From cottage industry to international organisation: the evolution of Salafi-Jihadism and the emergence of the Al Qaeda ideology. Terrorism and Political Violence, 22(4), 541-558.

Vos, F., Rodríguez, J., Below, R., & Guha-Sapir, D. (2010). Annual disaster statistical review 2009: the numbers and trends. Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED).Votel, J. L., Cleveland, C. T., Connett, C. T., & Irwin, W. (2016). Unconventional warfare in the gray zone. Joint Forces Quarterly, 80(1).