Conflict and Tension - Section 2

Aims of Al-Qaeda:

• Eradicate intervention from Russia ( Soviet Union) in Afghan, 1979.
• Correct the inequalties they see - e.g. being poor despite there being large amounts of oil in their area.
• Start a global Islamic global revoloution
• Prevent USA/Western influence in the Middle East.

The Role of Osama Bin-Laden:

• Many of Al-Qaeda's troops came from Arab countries where its governments has ties to the US and were obediant to their wishes.
• Many leading activists were educated, rich and from prominant Arab Families.
• Bin Laden is an example of this - he was from a wealthy Saudi family and used his private income to fund Al-Qaeda.

Formative Years:

• Born into a wealthy Saudi family in 1957.
• His father had close ties to the House of Saudi - died in 1967 (Bin Laden was 10).
• In his younger years he wasn't a very strict muslim - enjoyed the luxuries rich people would.

Spiritual Awakening:

• In 1975 he had a spiritual rebirth - returned to Islam fully dedicated.
• At 20 he entered into an arranged marriage where he and his wife became immersed in F-I and they condemened Western influence/forces.

Afghan War: (Creation of Al-Qaeda)

• Recruited his own army in Pakistan to fight Soviets, he trained soldiers and created a support network - e.g. doctor training centres, sleeping quarters.
•  Gathered 25,000 Jihadists to fight the Soviets and gained the USA's support - who wanted the Soviets to stop spreading communism. Secured money and arms from USA.
• He also took an active role in the war - he fought with the Jihadists, lived in with them and trained them - he was almost a martyr to them.

Conquering Hero:

• In 1989 the Soviets were expelled from Afghan - Bin Laden returned a hero.
• Used his new found fame to preach his views in mosques.
• Protecting Saudi was his main focus after Hussein invaded Kuwait - he offered his assistance to the House of Saudi and warned against US intevention but the HOS used it anyways.
• Bin Laden was enraged by this as he wanted to be free of their influence - this conflict led to the second Gulf War.

Exile:

• The relationship between the HOS and Bin Laden broke down and in 1991 he was exiled.
• His citizenship was revoked 3 years later.
• He fled to Sudan with his family and quickly found support; their aim was to strike US targets so they would withdraw from the Middle East and governments relient upon them would fall.

The End:

• American forces and Navy Seals located Bin LAden in Pakistan at a compund on the 2nd May 2011 - killed him with a shot to chest and head.
• Later burned at sea.

• In 1996, he travelled back to the Taliban - dominated Afghan and issued a Fatwa that demanded the US leave Saudi. However, after car and truck bombs in 1995 and 1996 the Saudi Royal family were reluctant to cooperate.
• He issued a second Fatwa in 1998 - this declared that it was a Muslims duty to kill AMericans and their allies - although Britain was included in this, London was used as a place for Islamists to recruit and meet.
• Osama was on The FBI's most wanted list after attacks in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998.

September 11th Attacks:

• Previous to the 9/11 attacks, The World Trade Centre had been bombed (1993) by a group linked to Al-Qaeda, killing 6 people.
• However the 9/11 attacks involved 4 airliners being hijacked - they were internal flights.
• Three planes hit their targets - TWTC (both), and the Pentagon were hit, and the fourth plane crashed en route to the White House-which was most likely the target.
• 2,996 people were killed and 6,000 were injured.
• It took just 90 minutes for The Twin Towers to fall.

Why were Al-Qaeda the main suspects?

• Bin Laden had the wealth and the suppoort to carry the attack out.
• He had a anti-western mindset and had voiced this hatred.
• The first bombing (1993)  was carried out by a terrorist with strong links to Al-Qaeda.

1989- Russian Soviets Expelled.

1992- Fall of the Communist government in Afghan.

1992-1996- Growth of the Taliban in Afghan.

1996- Taliban own 4/5 of Afhgan.

How Did The Taliban Gain Power?

• Soviet Withdrawal- With the removal of soviet forces in 1989 - Najibullah's communist government was attacked by various Mujahadeen groups.
• Power Vacuum: In 1992 the insurrection toppled the government (BL involved), which descended Afghan into lawlessness as the Mujahadeen groups fought to gain control. The judicial,administrative and police structures as well as Afghan's economy collapse.
• Growth of the Taliban:Taliban had support from Pakistani tribesmen and they were led by Omar. Taliban were openly supplied with arms and money, the ranks of the taliban were also bolstered by largely Sunni students from across Pakistan who were fuelled by the injustices the governement and western influence had created. 

• During the 5 years of Taliban (1996-2001) Afghan, now an Islamic Emerite gained a rep as a rogue state. Western Government claimed they were sponsoring violent jihad, which was strengthened by the evidence that Al-Qaeda enjoyed their favourable staus in Afghan.

Enforcement of Sharia Law:

• Under Sharia Law, women were excluded from sport and education. They could only be employed in the health sector, otherwise they were removed from their proffesion and had to remain at home.
• In public, decrees stated that they had to be accompanied by a male relative and wearing a burqa - if not punishments included public execution and lashings.
• Modern forms of media and social norms such as painting, music, TV were rejected. As was alcohol.
• Men had to cover their heads and were banned from shaving their beards.
• However the Taliban faced armed opposition from groups such as the Northern Alliance  so they were concerned with imposing control in Afghan and consolidating their power.

• Many negative attitudes to the Taliban were attributed to their treatment of ethnic groups.
• The Shia Hazaras were one ethnic group attacked as the Taliban didn't believe they were true Muslims. 
• Simarly the Buddhists were oppressed - their temples that were thousands of years old were destoryed under Taliban rule.
• They used UN food as a weapon - refused it to certain ethnic groups like Buddhists and Hazaras.
• They also removed female aid workers and as a result there were many civillians that were denied food and starved.
• The Taliban also refused humanitarian aid because some UN offices - for example those in Kabul had brough foreign influences into the country and Afghanistan was now an Islamic Emirate State and the Taliban wanted it to remain like this.

Western:

• Overwhelmingly negative
• No Western government recognised them as a government.
• UN's relationship was strained with them - they had accused the Taliban of sex trafficking and War Crimes such as Ethnic Cleansing.
• UN Security Council banned all commercial flights to and from Afghan and froze their accounts worldwide

Muslim:

• Overwhelmingly negative - especially Iran who felt targeted by the ethnic cleansing the Taliban were carrying out.
• The United Arab Emirates, Saudi, and Pakistan all recognised them as a government.
• Although Pakistan deny it they apparently offered military help to the Taliban.
• 10 Iranian diplomats were killed in Mazar in 1998 and 200,000 soldiers were amassed however war was averted.

• Iran had supported Muslim Groups that were fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan however did not support the Taliban because of their treatment of ethnic minorities, some of which Iran supported.
• Many of the Northern Alliance that opposed the Taliban were Shia Muslims - not all fundamental Muslims were opposed to those more westernised.

• The attacks led to open hostility towards the Taliban from the international community because they had provided Al-Qaeda with a safe haven where they could gather the means to carry out attacks like this.
• The leaders of Muslim majority countries reacted with a mixture of horror and self-interest.
• Horror- Al-Qaeda had committed mass murder on US ground in the name of Islam despite the majority of Muslims believing the 9/11 attacks and terrorism has anything to do with Islam.
• Self-Interest- A US led campaign on anti-terrorism could remove a potential threat to the ruling elites in the Middle East.
• Even Pakistan offered assistance to American counter terrorism in return for finacial aid despite claims that they had supported the Taliban

• NO distinction between those that harboured terrorists and those that were terrorists.
• ' You are either with us or you are with the terrorists' - President George W. Bush.
• Bush demanded justice for 9/11 by demanding the extradition of Bin Laden from Afghanistan, having accused the Taliban of harbouring terrorists.
• The Taliban declined the request saying that they wanted further proof of Al-Qaeda's guilt and their prescence in Afghan.
• Tony Blair declared the UK would support the US as 9/11 had been the worst attack affecting UK citizens since WW2. Some counselled caution and raised fears for a potentially long war.
• UN did not support this meaning it wouldn't be led by the UN.
• However, NATO and the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan did support it.
• The Aims:Find Bin Laden, Remove the Taliban from power, Prevent Afghan from being used as a terrorist haven.
• On October 7th 2001 US bombing raids on Kabul and other Taliban targets began and the Northern Alliance advanced toward Taliban held villages.
• By November 12th the Taliban were retreating toward mountains in the south or Pakistan.

• Despite the collapse of the Taliban, neither them nor Bin Laden had been fully defeated or captured.
• The Taliban used guerilla war tactics against coallition forces in the mountains to evade capture just as they had with the Soviets.
• This meant that they could regroup and fight back because they weren't completely destroyed.
• The regroup meant that the Taliban could fight back.

• In 2001 a UN peace confrence took place in Bonn so as to try transition a new government into Afghan through an election. However the Taliban - reorganised by the Omar and using money from opium production caused problems for the coalliton.
• After their intial collapse the Taliban quickly regrouped and launched ambushes, raids and suicide attacks as well as establishing training centres which overshadowed attempst at reconstruction.
• The violence became so serious that in 2003 NATO took over The International Security Assitance Force which involved 51 countries however the US remained the major partner.
• Taliban opposition resulted in increasingly deadly combat and was characterised by the use of rocket attacks and improvised explosives.
• Humanitarian agencies were accused of being spies for the western government and so found it harder to operate in the country where politicians were being attacked.
• The attack on Iraq (2003) also helped Taliban resurgance as it divided the coallition so that their main focus wasn't Afghan - making them less effective.

• In 2005 Karzai won a 5 year term in government with just over half of the vote.
• He became leader of the (re-named) Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

Problems that he faced:

• He depended on US support in regards to the military and finance - seen as the 'American Stooge'
• He was a strong ally of America but their relationship remained uneasy.

Successes:

• Persuaded Afghan farmers to farm other crops rather than focus on poppy production.
• Called for more effort to neutralise terror threat by cutting of arms,money and recruits.
• Attempted to improve trade - struck deals with Pakistan and other neighbours.

Failures:

• Afghan remained poor despite financial aid.
• Presidency was riddled with claims of fraud, corruption and election malpractice.
• Unpopular - 4 assasination attempts due to coalliton forces causing civilian casulties (2006+) - K linked to the CF.

• Whilst NATO forces made small scale gains, the Taliban increased in strength each year and survived.
• Terrorist numbers were estimated to be 10,000 in 2008.
• By 2009 the end of the conflict seemed no nearer as President Barack Obama reinforced the US Garrison by another 17,000 soldiers.
• It would take another 5 years before NATO and the US could put an end to their combat role (still hasn't happened).