An ABC interview, in text, here http://www.abcnews.com/sections/world/dailynews/terror_980609.html
Usama bin Laden
- Thread starter Gonzo
- Start date
and a brief bio
Usama Bin Ladin was born around 1955 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He is the youngest son of Muhammad Bin Ladin, a wealthy Saudi of Yemeni origin and founder of the Bin Ladin Group, a construction firm heavily involved with Saudi Government contracts. Usama Bin Ladin left Saudi Arabia to fight against the Soviets in Afghanistan in 1979. In the mid-1980s he co-founded the Maktab al-Khidamat (MAK) or Services Office, to help funnel fighters and money to the Afghan resistance in Peshawar with a Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood member named 'Abdallah 'Azzam. The MAK ultimately established recruitment centers around the world -- including in the U.S., Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan -- that enlisted, sheltered, and transported thousands of individuals from over 50 countries to Afghanistan to fight the Soviets. It also organized and funded paramilitary training camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Bin Ladin imported heavy equipment to cut roads and tunnels and to build hospitals and storage depots in Afghanistan.
Bin Ladin split from 'Azzam in the late 1980s to extend his campaign to all corners of the globe: 'Azzam remained focused only on support to Muslims waging military campaigns. Bin Ladin formed a new organization in 1988 called al-Qa'ida -- the military "base." After 'Azzam was killed by a car bomb in late 1989, the MAK split, with the extremist faction joining Bin Ladin's organization.
Bin Ladin returned to work in his family's Jeddah-based construction business after the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989, but he continued his organization to support opposition movements in Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
Bin Ladin's anti-government activities prompted the Saudi government to expel him in 1991, after which he relocated to Sudan. Although the Afghan war had ended, al-Qa'ida has remained a formidable organization consisting of mujahedin of many nationalities who had previously fought with Bin Ladin. Many of these have remained loyal to and continue working with him today.
In May 1996, Sudan expelled Bin Ladin, largely in response to U.S. insistence and to the threat of UN sanctions following Sudan's alleged complicity in the attempted assassination of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Ethiopia in 1995. Within a month, Bin Ladin took refuge in Afghanistan, where his support for and participation in Islamic extremist activities continued.
Bin Ladin's Organization Al-Qa'ida's goal, in Bin Ladin's words, is to "unite all Muslims and to establish a government which follows the rule of the Caliphs." Bin Ladin has stated that the only way to establish the Caliphate is by force. Al-Qa'ida's goal, therefore, is to overthrow nearly all-Muslim governments, which Bin Ladin views as "corrupt," to drive Western influence from those countries, and eventually to abolish state boundaries.
Al-Qa'ida is multi-national, with members from numerous countries and with a worldwide presence. Senior leaders in the organization are also senior leaders in other terrorist organizations, including those designated by the Department of State as foreign terrorist organizations, such as the Egyptian al-Gama’at al-Islamiyya and the Egyptian al-Jihad. Al-Qa'ida seeks a global radicalization of existing Islamic groups and the creation of radical Islamic groups where none exist.
Al-Qa'ida supports Muslim fighters in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Chechnya, Tajikistan, Somalia, Yemen, and now Kosovo. It also trains members of terrorist organizations from such diverse countries as the Philippines, Algeria, and Eritrea.
Anti-U.S. Agenda Bin Ladin advocates the destruction of the United States, which he sees as the chief obstacle to reform in Muslim societies.
Since 1996, his anti-U.S. rhetoric has escalated to the point of calling for worldwide attacks on Americans and our allies, including civilians.
-- Bin Ladin publicly issued his "Declaration of War” against the United States in August 1996.
-- When anti-U.S. attacks did not materialize immediately, he explained the delay: "If we wanted to carry out small operations, it would have been easy to do so immediately after the statements. Even the nature of the battle requires good preparation."
-- In November 1996 he pronounced as "praiseworthy terrorism" the bombings in Riyadh and at Khobar in Saudi Arabia, promising that other attacks would follow. He admitted carrying out attacks on U.S. Military personnel in Somalia and Yemen, declaring, "we used to hunt them down in Mogadishu."
-- He stated in an interview broadcast in February 1997 "if someone can kill an American soldier, it is better than wasting time on other matters."
-- In February 1998, Bin Ladin announced the creation of a new alliance of terrorist organizations, the "International Islamic Front for Jihad Against the Jews and Crusaders." The Front included the Egyptian al-Gama'at al-Islamiyya, the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, the Harakat ul-Ansar, and two other groups. The Front declared its intention to attack Americans and our allies, including civilians, anywhere in the world.
-- In May 1998, he stated at a press conference in Afghanistan that we would see the results of his threats "in a few weeks."
Usama Bin Ladin was born around 1955 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He is the youngest son of Muhammad Bin Ladin, a wealthy Saudi of Yemeni origin and founder of the Bin Ladin Group, a construction firm heavily involved with Saudi Government contracts. Usama Bin Ladin left Saudi Arabia to fight against the Soviets in Afghanistan in 1979. In the mid-1980s he co-founded the Maktab al-Khidamat (MAK) or Services Office, to help funnel fighters and money to the Afghan resistance in Peshawar with a Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood member named 'Abdallah 'Azzam. The MAK ultimately established recruitment centers around the world -- including in the U.S., Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan -- that enlisted, sheltered, and transported thousands of individuals from over 50 countries to Afghanistan to fight the Soviets. It also organized and funded paramilitary training camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Bin Ladin imported heavy equipment to cut roads and tunnels and to build hospitals and storage depots in Afghanistan.
Bin Ladin split from 'Azzam in the late 1980s to extend his campaign to all corners of the globe: 'Azzam remained focused only on support to Muslims waging military campaigns. Bin Ladin formed a new organization in 1988 called al-Qa'ida -- the military "base." After 'Azzam was killed by a car bomb in late 1989, the MAK split, with the extremist faction joining Bin Ladin's organization.
Bin Ladin returned to work in his family's Jeddah-based construction business after the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989, but he continued his organization to support opposition movements in Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
Bin Ladin's anti-government activities prompted the Saudi government to expel him in 1991, after which he relocated to Sudan. Although the Afghan war had ended, al-Qa'ida has remained a formidable organization consisting of mujahedin of many nationalities who had previously fought with Bin Ladin. Many of these have remained loyal to and continue working with him today.
In May 1996, Sudan expelled Bin Ladin, largely in response to U.S. insistence and to the threat of UN sanctions following Sudan's alleged complicity in the attempted assassination of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Ethiopia in 1995. Within a month, Bin Ladin took refuge in Afghanistan, where his support for and participation in Islamic extremist activities continued.
Bin Ladin's Organization Al-Qa'ida's goal, in Bin Ladin's words, is to "unite all Muslims and to establish a government which follows the rule of the Caliphs." Bin Ladin has stated that the only way to establish the Caliphate is by force. Al-Qa'ida's goal, therefore, is to overthrow nearly all-Muslim governments, which Bin Ladin views as "corrupt," to drive Western influence from those countries, and eventually to abolish state boundaries.
Al-Qa'ida is multi-national, with members from numerous countries and with a worldwide presence. Senior leaders in the organization are also senior leaders in other terrorist organizations, including those designated by the Department of State as foreign terrorist organizations, such as the Egyptian al-Gama’at al-Islamiyya and the Egyptian al-Jihad. Al-Qa'ida seeks a global radicalization of existing Islamic groups and the creation of radical Islamic groups where none exist.
Al-Qa'ida supports Muslim fighters in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Chechnya, Tajikistan, Somalia, Yemen, and now Kosovo. It also trains members of terrorist organizations from such diverse countries as the Philippines, Algeria, and Eritrea.
Anti-U.S. Agenda Bin Ladin advocates the destruction of the United States, which he sees as the chief obstacle to reform in Muslim societies.
Since 1996, his anti-U.S. rhetoric has escalated to the point of calling for worldwide attacks on Americans and our allies, including civilians.
-- Bin Ladin publicly issued his "Declaration of War” against the United States in August 1996.
-- When anti-U.S. attacks did not materialize immediately, he explained the delay: "If we wanted to carry out small operations, it would have been easy to do so immediately after the statements. Even the nature of the battle requires good preparation."
-- In November 1996 he pronounced as "praiseworthy terrorism" the bombings in Riyadh and at Khobar in Saudi Arabia, promising that other attacks would follow. He admitted carrying out attacks on U.S. Military personnel in Somalia and Yemen, declaring, "we used to hunt them down in Mogadishu."
-- He stated in an interview broadcast in February 1997 "if someone can kill an American soldier, it is better than wasting time on other matters."
-- In February 1998, Bin Ladin announced the creation of a new alliance of terrorist organizations, the "International Islamic Front for Jihad Against the Jews and Crusaders." The Front included the Egyptian al-Gama'at al-Islamiyya, the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, the Harakat ul-Ansar, and two other groups. The Front declared its intention to attack Americans and our allies, including civilians, anywhere in the world.
-- In May 1998, he stated at a press conference in Afghanistan that we would see the results of his threats "in a few weeks."
S
s4
Guest
I have been hearing that name on the news all day but really know nothing of him and hope to keep it that way.
An "editorial" from an Israeli newspaper dated today- http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/p...o=73903&displayTypeCd=1&sideCd=1&contrassID=2
Another from the Ha'aretz-
Afghanistan leader Mullah Omar has used Osama bin Laden as a diplomatic weapon
By Zvi Barel, Ha'aretz Middle East correspondent
If Mullah Mohammed Omar, the leader of the Taliban, who enjoyed U.S. aid when fighting the Soviet presence in Afghanistan, still listens to anyone, it is to those countries that still support him – Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
The Pakistanis helped to turn him into a man of war, and allowed him to use their intelligence services, as well as military equipment purchased with American funding during the war against the Soviet Union. The Saudis continue to finance his activities as well as Afghanistan's religious and welfare institutions, in order to strengthen their influence in the region as a counter-weight to efforts by Iran to spread its control.
Mullah Omar effectively exploited the situation, realizing that the battle was not just between local or regional forces, but that it was possible even to maneuver the U.S. The absurd thing is that while the U.S. is busy chasing Osama bin Laden, who has found asylum in Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia – a U.S. ally – continues to channel funding into Afghanistan without reproach, because America does not want Iran to fill Saudi Arabia's place in the region.
Mullah Omar continues to use Osama bin Laden as a diplomatic weapon and a bargaining chip with the U.S. For months, the Americans tried to convince the Taliban that bin Laden was a dangerous terrorist, but Western logic does not hold in a state which cuts off the hands of thieves and executes adulterers. The Taliban cling to the assertion that the U.S. has not proved that bin Laden is involved in terror.
As in other places, when dialogue failed, the U.S. reverted to the sanctions weapon. Last October, the UN imposed sanctions on Afghanistan, including a ban on international flights to and from Afghanistan, and the freezing of Taliban assets in banks around the world.
The people of Afghanistan are the ones now suffering the consequences. The Taliban have few assets around the world. And the ban on international flights has mainly affected the functioning of the health services in the country, since more than 50 percent of medical equipment there is imported. Hence, the sanctions are largely a declarative weapon.
For the U.S., which does not want to become embroiled in a war in the mountains of Afghanistan, there are not many options. America does not need another threatening state in the precarious region which includes Pakistan and India, and it definitely does not need to get into a conflict with a Sunni Muslim nation which has hostile relations with Iran.
But Mullah Omar does not just rely on Saudi backing. American sources estimate that Afghanistan produced more than 400 tons of opium for the production of heroin last year. Another Afghani export is precious stones. And then there is production of all types of weapons and ammunition.
According to Western intelligence sources, Afghanistan has provided sophisticated equipment to Hezbollah in Lebanon, helped prepare the fighters of the radical Islamic movements in Algeria and Yemen, and trained some of the terrorists of the Islamic movements in Egypt.
An institutionalized system of Islamic colleges, which are financed by Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, helps train the Afghani fighters and the volunteers that come from every possible place around the globe.
An Arab journalist who succeeded in visiting one of these training camps, described a sign at the entrance which read: "Sacred death-heaven-Islamic kamikaze-human bombs." He reported that males from the ages of 16 to 35 were studying there, and that those accepted to the advanced course for suicide bombers had to follow a very strict daily routine.
For those who run the camps, Afghanistan is an ideal location. The ongoing war there enables the students to participate in real battles, to use weapons, and to get experience in building and commanding military units.
The training is not expensive. It costs about $3,000 per person for a training period of a few months. This sum also covers the education system for the young children, with the outstanding ones receiving special training in how to be suicide bombers.
One of the main centers for religious training is in Pakistan, which has some 3,000 students, aged three to 34. Study includes mainly memorizing the Koran and Islamic law according to the dictates of Mullah Omar.
The most stringent Islamic edicts have emanated from this learning center, including those determining when and how to cut off the hands of a thief, as well as the correct way to stone an adulterous couple.
Afghanistan leader Mullah Omar has used Osama bin Laden as a diplomatic weapon
By Zvi Barel, Ha'aretz Middle East correspondent
If Mullah Mohammed Omar, the leader of the Taliban, who enjoyed U.S. aid when fighting the Soviet presence in Afghanistan, still listens to anyone, it is to those countries that still support him – Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
The Pakistanis helped to turn him into a man of war, and allowed him to use their intelligence services, as well as military equipment purchased with American funding during the war against the Soviet Union. The Saudis continue to finance his activities as well as Afghanistan's religious and welfare institutions, in order to strengthen their influence in the region as a counter-weight to efforts by Iran to spread its control.
Mullah Omar effectively exploited the situation, realizing that the battle was not just between local or regional forces, but that it was possible even to maneuver the U.S. The absurd thing is that while the U.S. is busy chasing Osama bin Laden, who has found asylum in Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia – a U.S. ally – continues to channel funding into Afghanistan without reproach, because America does not want Iran to fill Saudi Arabia's place in the region.
Mullah Omar continues to use Osama bin Laden as a diplomatic weapon and a bargaining chip with the U.S. For months, the Americans tried to convince the Taliban that bin Laden was a dangerous terrorist, but Western logic does not hold in a state which cuts off the hands of thieves and executes adulterers. The Taliban cling to the assertion that the U.S. has not proved that bin Laden is involved in terror.
As in other places, when dialogue failed, the U.S. reverted to the sanctions weapon. Last October, the UN imposed sanctions on Afghanistan, including a ban on international flights to and from Afghanistan, and the freezing of Taliban assets in banks around the world.
The people of Afghanistan are the ones now suffering the consequences. The Taliban have few assets around the world. And the ban on international flights has mainly affected the functioning of the health services in the country, since more than 50 percent of medical equipment there is imported. Hence, the sanctions are largely a declarative weapon.
For the U.S., which does not want to become embroiled in a war in the mountains of Afghanistan, there are not many options. America does not need another threatening state in the precarious region which includes Pakistan and India, and it definitely does not need to get into a conflict with a Sunni Muslim nation which has hostile relations with Iran.
But Mullah Omar does not just rely on Saudi backing. American sources estimate that Afghanistan produced more than 400 tons of opium for the production of heroin last year. Another Afghani export is precious stones. And then there is production of all types of weapons and ammunition.
According to Western intelligence sources, Afghanistan has provided sophisticated equipment to Hezbollah in Lebanon, helped prepare the fighters of the radical Islamic movements in Algeria and Yemen, and trained some of the terrorists of the Islamic movements in Egypt.
An institutionalized system of Islamic colleges, which are financed by Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, helps train the Afghani fighters and the volunteers that come from every possible place around the globe.
An Arab journalist who succeeded in visiting one of these training camps, described a sign at the entrance which read: "Sacred death-heaven-Islamic kamikaze-human bombs." He reported that males from the ages of 16 to 35 were studying there, and that those accepted to the advanced course for suicide bombers had to follow a very strict daily routine.
For those who run the camps, Afghanistan is an ideal location. The ongoing war there enables the students to participate in real battles, to use weapons, and to get experience in building and commanding military units.
The training is not expensive. It costs about $3,000 per person for a training period of a few months. This sum also covers the education system for the young children, with the outstanding ones receiving special training in how to be suicide bombers.
One of the main centers for religious training is in Pakistan, which has some 3,000 students, aged three to 34. Study includes mainly memorizing the Koran and Islamic law according to the dictates of Mullah Omar.
The most stringent Islamic edicts have emanated from this learning center, including those determining when and how to cut off the hands of a thief, as well as the correct way to stone an adulterous couple.
Here are a few choice quotes from the Evil Overlord his own bad self:
from WashingtonPost.com
On his methods:
"You cannot defeat the heretic with this book alone," bin Laden has said, referring to the Koran. "You have to show them the fist." (Quoted in The Washington Post, Sept. 18, 2001.)
On Americans:
"The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies -- civilians and military -- is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it, in order to liberate the al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy mosque [Mecca] from their grip, and in order for their armies to move out of all the lands of Islam, defeated and unable to threaten any Muslim." (From "Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders," 23 February 1998)
To the Palestinians:
"We give you the good news that the forces of Islam are coming and the forces of Yemen will continue in the name of God." (From a training video that circulated in the Middle East after the bombing of the USS Cole in October 2000.)
On weapons of mass destruction:
"If I seek to acquire such weapons, this is a religious duty," he said. "How we use them is up to us." (Quoted by a Pakistani news agency in 1998.)
from WashingtonPost.com
On his methods:
"You cannot defeat the heretic with this book alone," bin Laden has said, referring to the Koran. "You have to show them the fist." (Quoted in The Washington Post, Sept. 18, 2001.)
On Americans:
"The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies -- civilians and military -- is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it, in order to liberate the al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy mosque [Mecca] from their grip, and in order for their armies to move out of all the lands of Islam, defeated and unable to threaten any Muslim." (From "Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders," 23 February 1998)
To the Palestinians:
"We give you the good news that the forces of Islam are coming and the forces of Yemen will continue in the name of God." (From a training video that circulated in the Middle East after the bombing of the USS Cole in October 2000.)
On weapons of mass destruction:
"If I seek to acquire such weapons, this is a religious duty," he said. "How we use them is up to us." (Quoted by a Pakistani news agency in 1998.)
S
s4
Guest
I saw everything that I needed to see on the 11th. I care to know nothing of the guy except to see that he gets to meet the Lord Almighty which he will not enjoy.
DAmn, he just won't shut up (this is an old quote)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/world/europe/westerneurope/unitedkingdom/A7682-2001Oct4.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/world/europe/westerneurope/unitedkingdom/A7682-2001Oct4.html