Al QA'ida Trans-National Terrorist Network'.

Al Qa'ida Trans-national Terrorist Network'. Al Qa'ida, which means the "Foundation "or the "Base" in Arabic, is the general name given to this organization, which is seen as a worldwide or transnational network or alliance of militant Islamic organizations. (Wikipedia: Al Qa'ida) However there are some disparities and ambiguities that must be mentioned in relation to the naming of this organization. Firstly, the name "al-Qa'ida," while a recognized name within the popular mind, is a designation that the organization does not often use to identify itself.

Furthermore, the origins of the name is disputed in some quarters and "some allege it was coined by the United States government based on the name of a computer file of Bin Laden's that listed the names of contacts he had made at the MAK in the Bait al-Ansar guesthouse during the late 1980s." (ibid) the name, which refers to the training camp for the militants, has however become the common designation for the organization.

There are various other name and designations for by which the group or organization is known. These include the following list: al Qaeda Al-Qaida the Base" the Islamic Army the World Islamic Front for Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders the Islamic Army for the Liberation of the Holy Places the Usama Bin Laden Network the Usama Bin Laden Organization Islamic Salvation Foundation The Group for the Preservation of the Holy Sites Al Qa'ida: Terrorism Files) 2. Definition Al Qa'ida is generally viewed as a multinational loosely affiliated organization.

Members of the group reside in various counties and the organization has a presence throughout the world. As will become evident in other sections of this research, the term organization is also a loosely applied appellation as Al Qa'ida does not subscribe to formal organizational and management conventions. This also relates to the fact that the organization is mysterious and fluid- which increases its threat and makes tracking info about the organization more difficult.

As John Grey states in his study entitled Beyond Belief: Al-Qaeda's Apocalyptic Brand of Religion,"Al Qaeda is more than just an organization; it is also a process, and its principal resource is its human capital. Al Qaeda's future ability to grow and continue operations depends most strongly on its ability to gather new recruits. (Grey 4) 3. Geographical location The amorphous nature of the organization makes it extremely difficult to make a conclusive or definitive assessment of localization of the group or its members.

The best assessment of this aspect is that it is a "worldwide organization" which is known to be active in the following counties and regions of the world such as, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Chechnya, Tajikistan, Somalia, Yemen, and Kosovo. It also trains members of terrorist organizations from such diverse countries as the Philippines, Algeria, and Eritrea. (al-Qa'ida.The Base) As well as cells throughout the world, the organization also has links to Sunni extremist networks.

Research suggests that at present the organization is dispersed into smaller groups resident in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. (ibid) 4. Size of organization Similar to point three above, it is extremely difficult if not practically impossible to determine the exact size of an organization of this nature, with its undetermined structure. The best estimates as to the size of the organization are as follows.

According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a 2004 report stated that "...more than 18,000 "potential militants" are scattered around the world operating in more than 60 countries which could be recruited by Al-Qaeda. " (Wikipedia: Al Qa'ida) Other estimates put the number of actual member of the organization at several thousand - including associates.

To complicate matters Al Qa'ida"...Also serves as a focal point or umbrella organization for a worldwide network that includes many Sunni Islamic extremist groups, some members of al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, and the Harakat ul-Mujahidin al-Qa'ida.The Base) 5. Membership The core membership of the organization consist firstly of Afghan war veterans from the entire Muslim world. However, the actual membership could include any number of recruits and associates from any country in the world. 6. Resources and finances Financial resources are obtained from a number of sources.

These include businesses as well as contributions and donations from supporters of the cause. It is also alleged that funds are illegally drawn form various Muslim charitable organizations. (al-Qa'ida. The Base) it is also known that reductions of these financial assets by countries such as the Unites states have hampered the growth of the organization to a certain extent. Furthermore, Osama Bin Laden also brings his personal and considerable financial assets to the organization.

Bin Laden is the son of extremely wealthy Saudi family it is estimated that he inherited about $300 million. (Al Qa'ida: Terrorism Files) An essential resource is the numbers of recruits that join the organization, usually for ideological or religious reasons. "Al Qaeda's future ability to grow and continue operations depends most strongly on its ability to gather new recruits." (Grey 4) 7. Leadership and Senior Members Besides Bin laden, the military leader of al-Qa'ida was allegedly Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. He was arrested in Pakistan in 2003.

Prior to this the previous military leader of the organization, Muhammed Atef, died in a U.S. bombing raid on Afghanistan in late 2001. Other alleged leaders of the organization include the following list: Saif al-Adel Sulaiman Abu Ghaith Abu Hafiza Abu Faraj al-Libbi (arrested in Pakistan, 2005) Abu Mohammed al-Masri Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (captured in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, in 2003) Thirwat Salah Shirhata Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Ayman al-Zawahri Abu Zubaydah (captured in 2002) Wikipedia: Al Qa'ida) 8.

Chain of command Due to the clandestine nature of the organization and an obvious reticence to make its chain of command publicly known to its Middle - Eastern and Western enemies, the actual chain of command is obscure. However information from al-Qa'ida defectors such as Jamal al-Fadl has enabled American authorities to build an outline of the possible chain of command. This is presented as follows: Bin Laden is the emir of al-Qaeda, he is advised by a shura council, which comprises senior members of the group.

The Military committee is responsible for training, weapons acquisition, and planning attacks. Business operations and financial aspects are conducted by the Money/Business committee. In this regard" the payroll office pays al-Qaeda members, and the Management office oversees money-making businesses. In the U.S. 911 Commission Report it is estimated that al-Qaeda requires 30,000,000 USD / year to conduct its operation." (ibid) The Law committee is responsible for the application of Islamic law as it pertains to courses of action; and the Islamic study/fatwah committee issues religious edicts.

The Media Committee is responsible for public relations. However, as far as in known, this committer is no longer functional and that media issues and public relations have been outsourced to other areas of the organization. 9. Organizational Structure The organization has a networked rather then a hierarchical structure. This means that it is decentralized and has no top-down hierarchy of command in the conventional sense. This enables greater flexibility of action in the organization and allows for a far-flung networked base for its activities.

On the other hand experts have pointed out that large scale actions, such as the September 11th attacks, are extremely difficult to organize with this kind of structure. The network structure is more suitable for small and more localized actions. In addition, the question is asked as to whether Al Qa'ida can be discussed as an organization in the conventional understanding of the term.

Some commentators have suggested that the organization is more "virtual" than real This lack of clear structure makes the very existence of al-Qaeda as a real organisation debatable. According to the controversial BBC documentary the Power of Nightmares, al-Qaeda is so weakly linked together that it is hard to say it exists apart from Osama bin Laden and a small clique of close associates. Wikipedia: Al Qa'ida) 10. History The origins of Al Qa'ida lie historically with the Afghan war against the Soviets.

In practical terms the organization was established in 1988 by the Saudi militant Osama bin Laden. From his base within Afghanistan bin Laden "... used an extensive international network to maintain a loose connection between Muslim extremists in diverse countries." (ICT) In essence Al Qa'ida begins as an organization with a central focus during the struggle against the Soviet Union for Afghanistan. The organization or group developed from a mujahideen resistance grouping known as the Maktab al-Khadamat (MAK) in the 1980s.

Osama bin Laden founded MAK, along with other leaders, including the Palestinian militant Abdullah Yusuf Azzam. A crucial part of the history of Al Qa'ida is that the fight against the Soviet Union was seen not in conventional terms, but as a holy war against the aggressor. This resulted in volunteers and supporters from throughout the Muslim world rallying to the call. Furthermore, the resistance experience fused together Islamic fighters from a wide range of backgrounds and views to create the central kernel of the new organization.

"Muslims from Algeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Southeast Asia, and beyond fought side by side, forging relationships and creating a cadre of veterans who shared a powerful life experience, a more global view,..." Jenkins 3) This experience was bolstered by the victory over the Soviet Union, which consequently strengthened the organization. However, the Afghan veterans, on returning to their various homes, were viewed with suspicion by the different governments and regimes and were often seen as a political threat. Due to this factor, these veterans were susceptible to new campaigns and ideologies.

Jenkins provides a clear outline of the motivational genesis of Al Qa'ida after the Afghan resistance. There were ample reasons and opportunities to continue the fight: the Gulf War and the consequent arrival of American troops in Saudi Arabia; the continued repression of Islamic challenges to local regimes; armed struggles in Algeria, Egypt, the newly independent Muslim republics of the former Soviet Union, Kashmir, the Philippines, and Bosnia; the forces of globalization that seemed threatening to all local cultures; and the continuing civil war in Afghanistan.

These initial members subsequently joined the ideological view of the "pan-Islamic Caliphate" throughout the world. Their ideology, simplistically stated, was to overthrow regimes and governments in the region which were seen to be essentially non-Islamic in nature. In this context the organization also saw Western influence as part of the problem that they were fighting against and Westerners and Western interests in Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia became targets of terrorist attacks.

The organization issued a statement in February 1998 against all non-Islamic influence in the region and stressed that "...it was the duty of all Muslims to kill U.S. citizens -- civilian or military -- and their allies everywhere." (al-Qa'ida. The Base) The organization also merged with other pro-Islamic and anti-Western groups, including Egyptian Islamic Jihad (Al-Jihad) in June 2001. (ibid) 11. Doctrine The doctrine that acts as an impetus for the organization's activities is obviously Islam.

However the practical doctrine is one of revolutionary ideology and in coined in terms of a holy war against the infidels who would destroy the development of the Islamic world view. It is important that this underlying doctrine be understood in terms of non-secular and religious ideals - which may be foreign to most Westerners. Therefore, "Muslims perceive this war as an unprecedented assault on Islam.

Ultimately the real issue here is the perception of Muslims and the vast majority of Muslims around the world feel besieged by America." (AL QAEDA'S GRAND STRATEGY: SUPERPOWER BAITING) The organization's primary goal is the overthrow of what it sees as the corrupt and governments of Muslim states, and their replacement with the rule of Sharia (Islamic law). Al Qa'ida views the United States in particular as the central enemy of Islam.

A number of "fatwahs" or religious rulings calling upon Muslims to take up arms against the United States have been issued by Bin laden. (ICT) 12. Motivation The motivational background of the organization can be directly related to their history. What Osama bin Laden and his compatriots contributed to organization was a centralized and strong vision and a strategy to accompany this vision.

The motivation for the organization relates to the doctrine of the establishment of an Islamic order and eradication of outside influences and what are seen to be essentially corrupt and non-Islamic regimes in the Middle East region. 13. Strategy The general strategy that emerges from a study of the activities and statement of the organization is fairly clearly defined. This strategy relates to the contemporary theory of a united Islamic commonality with the "...restoration of the Islamic Caliphate that, at its height, stretched from Spain to India," as its aim.

(Jenkins 4) an important aspect of this strategy is to view local conflicts throughout the world as part of a unified and single struggle between true Islam and those who would destroy the Faith. This strategy also sees those who support the "corrupt" elements in the Islamic world - such as the United States - as being complicit with the enemy. This view provides a clear and unambiguous strategy towards a single and unified end goal.

By erasing the boundaries between individual countries and their conflicts, al Qaeda could draw upon a much larger reservoir of human resources for the larger battle. In addition to the thousands of veterans of the war against the Soviet Union, al Qaeda now had thousands of new recruits to train. 14. Record of Attacks The record of attacks allegedly pretreated by this group is extensive. The following are some of the most significant during the recent past. 2004. There were at least eleven recorded attacks associated with the organization during this year.

It is estimated that over 60 people were killed and about 225 wounded. This number included six Americans killed. The focus of these attacks was on the "U.S. And Western presence and Saudi security forces in Riyadh, Yanbu, Jeddah, and Dhahran." (Terrorist Group Profiles) There were also other attacks in Iraq that have been associated with al-Qa'ida. 2003. On the 12 May, 2003 the organization was linked to the assault and bombing of three expatriate housing complexes in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Thirty people were killed and 216 injured.

Al Qa'ida was also accused of supporting attacks in a Jewish center in Casablanca, Morocco on May 16. This incident left 33 dead and 101 people injured. Another incident associated with the organization during 2003 was the bombing of the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia, on August 5. Twelve people were killed and 149 injured in this incident. (ibid) Other attacks during this year included: The suicide bombing of two synagogues in Istanbul, Turkey on November 15 which left 20 dead and 300 injured.

The organization was associated with the bombing of the British Consulate and HSBS Bank in Istanbul on November 20. Forty-one people died and over 500 people were injured in this incident. The attempted assignation attempts of Pakistani President Musharraf on December 2003. (ibid) In 2002 the organization was linked to a plethora of attacks. These included that bombing on November 28th of a hotel in Mombassa, Kenya in which 15 people were killed. Al Qa'ida has also been linked to the nightclub bombing in Bali, Indonesia on October 12, in which more than 200 died.

Other incidents were; An attack on U.S. military personnel in Kuwait on October 8. A suicide attack on a tanker off the coast of Yemen on October 6. The firebombing of a synagogue in Tunisia which killed 19 people. Of course a major attack associated with the group is the infamous September 11th attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, and the Pentagon near Washington, DC. The death toll in these incidents was about 3000 people. Another infamous attack was the assault on the U.S.S.

Cole in the port of Aden, Yemen. This took place on n October 12, 2000, and resulted in the death of 17 U.S. Navy sailors. In 1998 the organization was responsible for the attack on the U.S. Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. These attacks left more than 300 dead and injured more than 5000. There are numerous other incidents and reports that have not been included in this overview. These include claims by the group that they were responsible for shooting down U.S.

helicopters in Somalia in 1993 and the bombing on U.S. troops in Aden, Yemen, in December 1992. (ibid) It should also be noted in this regard that Al-Qaeda does not have a habit of taking credit for actions, resulting in a great deal of ambiguity over how many attacks the group has actually conducted. In addition following the U.S. declaration of the War on Terrorism in 2001, the U.S.

government has made a great effort to connect as many groups and actions as possible to al-Qaeda, which might result in erroneous attributions. Wikipedia: Al Qa'ida) Al-Qaeda has strong alliances with a number of other Islamic militant organizations including the Indonesian Islamic extremist group Jemaah Islamiyah, which was responsible for the October 2002 Bali bombing. (ibid) 15. Modus operandi The methods of the attacks by Al Qa'ida take a multitude of forms. These can take the form of vehicle bombs, assaults, kidnappings, targeted shootings, bombings, and beheadings.