Al-Qaeda terrorist group Al-Qaeda is one of the major terrorist groups in the world that has previously attacked the US and has a likelihood of targeting it again. The Al-Qaeda terrorist group is linked to other terrorist groups around the world and is known to finance and offer training to terrorist groups such as ISIS and Al-shabab. It is often times overshadowed by its ultra violent offshoots but Al-Qaeda is the largest terrorist organization in the world and is more then capable of conducting large scale, high casualty producing attacks. (Bevy, 2006). Origins Al-Qaeda is an Arabic word that when translated mean “The base” or “The Foundation”. It is global Islamic movement that was founded by Osama bin Laden, Abdullah Azzam and other extremists …show more content…
The leadership of the group comprised of Osama bin Laden before his death and other group members. There are regional groups using the brand name Al-Qaeda which handle executing attacks in their areas but still have strong ties with overall leadership. Osama bin Laden before his death was the commander and senior operations chief the group. Ayman al-Zawahiri was the deputy operations chief and assumed the role of the commander after the death of Bin Laden. He replaced the interim commander Saif al-Adel. Bin Laden was advised by approximately 20 to 30 Shura council members who were senior officials in the Al-Qaeda ranks (Silber, 2012). The group consists of decentralized regional leaders who were called to serve as an integral part of the organization when the need arose. Al-Qaeda consists of a military committee that is responsible for training, acquisition of weapons and planning attacks. It also includes a business committee that is responsible for training operatives to get finances. The law committee is in charge of reviewing Sharia laws and deciding which attacks conform to …show more content…
Another source of funding for the group in the 1990s was from Osama bin Laden personal wealth (Schanzer & Ross, 2005). The group was also involved in the heroin trade and donations from jihadists and others extremist groups. Al-Qaeda also gets revenue from the businesses people in their area of operations. The illegal activities that the group is involved in also help to raise funds such as the sale of weapons to other terrorist groups and criminal organizations around the world. Physical bases Al-Qaeda has physical bases of operations in countries such as Sudan, Somalia, Pakistan and regions of Afghanistan and Iraq. These regions that have been destabilized by war offer the best opportunity for operations to the Al-Qaeda group. It allows the group to continue its activities without being detected and offer a large group of recruits who can be convinced to join the Al-Qaeda cause. The headquarters of Al-Qaeda are currently unknown (Schanzer & Ross, 2005). Personnel