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Al Qaeda And The United States

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The other suspected motive that al-Qaeda had for the September 11th attacks was the United States’ continuing presence in Saudi Arabia. In 1991, when the Gulf War ended, the United State’s Department of Defense reserved approximately 5,000 troops to be stationed in territories located in Saudi Arabia. Part of their responsibility was to carry out the military operation, “Operation Southern Watch” ("Operation Southern Watch"). The goal of this military operation was to ensure that the no-fly zones over southern Iraq were enforced. In addition, they made certain that the oil exportation shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf were protected ("Operation Southern Watch"). Osama Bin Laden’s dismay with the United State’s presence and protection in …show more content…

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, an infidel is defined as, “a person who does not believe in a religion that someone regards as the true religion” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). In this case, the infidels that Osama bin Laden were referring to do not believe in what he considers to be the “true religion” of Islam. In addition, according to Bin Laden, Muslims who do not take note of this religious decree would be deemed as individuals who have forsaken their Islamic faith. ("CT2Learn :: The National Counterterrorism Center Counterterrorism 2014 Calendar", p. 4) There have been several unexpected changes that have been brought on by the events of September 11th, 2001. Some of the most prominent changes include: more than a decade of war, the introduction of federal programs focused on immigration and deportation, and changes in the management of airport screening ("Three Major Lasting Impacts of 9/11"). In addition to the security’s budget for the war surpassing more than $43 billion, the number of young men and women that have been deployed overseas and have been killed or injured in the war on terror has increased as well. According to the United States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, “…roughly 3.1 million Americans entered military service between 2001 and 2011, and nearly 2 million were deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq” ("Three Major Lasting Impacts of 9/11"). Additionally, “…more than 18 percent

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