Al Qaeda, Isis And Terror Attacks On The United States Essay

ISIS is Sunni jihadist terrorist group primarily operating in Iraq, Pakistan, and Syria among other countries. The primary obligation of the group is to bring all Muslim population under its

Islam has a lot of evolution and many splits since its founding 1400 years ago. The biggest branches are Sunni and Shia, but within each there have been many further splits. ISIS is part of a Sunni branch known as Salafists, who reject modern Islam and prefer to return to its early teachings.

Background/Cause: The September 11 attacks were largely caused by Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda. He held beliefs about the United States leading up to the attacks saying that America was weak. According to his comrade, Abu Walid al-Masri, bin Laden believed that the United States was much weaker than some of the people he was associated with. Bin Laden believed that the United States was a “paper tiger,” a belief not only held because of America’s departure from Lebanon, but also by the withdrawal of American forces from Somalia in 1993 and from Vietnam in the 1970s (Bergen).

The government’s response to the September 11, 2001 events was quick and decisive. Government officials attributed responsibility for the attack to Osama bin Laden and the Al Qaeda organization. One result was an announced policy shift from deterrence to preemption, generally referred to as the “Bush Doctrine.” (National Security Strategy, [http://www.whitehouse.gov/nsc/nss.html].) Given the potential consequences of terrorist attacks employing weapons of mass destruction, government decision makers felt that the nation could not afford to sit back, wait for attacks to occur, and then respond. The nation was mobilized; combating terrorism and crippling Al Qaeda became top national priorities. The use of military force against different terrorist groups and infrastructure gained increasing acceptance in Government policy circles. In addition, a February 14, 2003, National Strategy for Combating Terrorism [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/02/20030214-7.html] gave more emphasis to the role of international cooperation, law enforcement and economic development in countering terrorism.

On September 11, 2001, at 8:45 a.m. on a Tuesday morning, a Boeing 767-222 aircraft plummeted into the twin towers. Boarding 56 passengers including 5 hijackers. After the incident, no survivors were found all passengers and more were found dead at the scene.

ISIS stands for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. It is referred as a terrorist group by the United States, whereas ISIS considers themselves to be an army instead. ISIS has been responsible for many gruesome attacks all over the world one of them being the execution of Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh. They originated from Al-Qaeda in Iraq but they had big ambitions by kicking America out and setting up an Islamic state. To this date hold their land there unlike other groups like Al-Qaeda and Taliban. They have a huge support from people as their count being over 30,000 soldiers and followers. They are heavily armed, can fund themselves, have an organized infrastructure, and can cause a lot of damage. Later in 2006, their brutality lost them the support of Iraqi Sunnis who partnered with US forces to help push them out of the country. And for this incident, America takes a lot of credit for this and call it the Surge in which they helped Sunnis rise up against Al-Qaeda in Iraq’s rule. This led to Al-Qaeda in Iraq being defeated but not destroyed by only being driven out of the land they used to control and later they began rebuilding themselves by being involved in the fighting in Syria as they were trying to throw the Shiite Assad regime. Due to their brutal and severe tactics, Al-Qaeda disavowed Al-Qaeda in Iraq. Later in February 2014, the group Al-Qaeda in Iraq

2. Isis is an Iraqi terrorist group who is trying to gain more control over the war torn country. The group has “a reputation for brutal rule in the areas that it controls”(CNN). Many innocent civilians have been killed due to the inhumane acts that this group has committed. They have been named “the most cash-rich militant group in the world”(CNN).

Isis originated as a group who fought against U.S. forces in Iraq, and later Syria, and were allies as well as a part of the radical Sunni Muslim organization known as al-Qaeda. The joined group was known at that time as al-Qaeda in Iraq and had

Who is ISIS? They are a Sunni terrorist group that originates from the also Sunni terrorist group, al Qaeda, but specifically the Iraq faction, al Qaeda in Iraq. They are specifically a Sunni version of Islam called Salafism, which means Pious forefathers. The forefathers are the prophet himself and the earliest adherents. The individuals who are part of this group look to these forefathers as examples in behavior and everything else. They desire to follow their actions and lifestyles exactly. The original leader of this group was killed and a new leader rose to power, Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, who was an experienced fighter. They lost their power in the Sunni Awakening in 2007, and then found a chance to regain power in Syria in 2011. By

Who is ISIS? They are a Sunni terrorist group that originates from the also Sunni terrorist group, Al Qaeda, but specifically the Iraq faction, Al Qaeda in Iraq. They are specifically a Sunni version of Islam called Salafism, which means Pious forefathers (Ferran, Momtaz, 2015). The forefathers are the prophet himself and the earliest followers. The individuals who are part of this group look to these forefathers as examples in behavior and everything else. They desire to follow their actions and lifestyles exactly. The original leader of this group was killed and a new leader rose to power, Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, who was an experienced fighter. They lost their power in the Sunni Awakening in 2007, and then found a chance to regain power

Before the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001 in the United States, the CIA was very aware of Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups who’s aim was to target the United States. The CIA became aware of Al Qaeda when they were tracking Osama Bin Laden in 1991 for financing terrorist attacks. As previously discussed, the CIA followed Bin Laden to Afghanistan where they eventually declared war on him. In 1999 the CIA was aware of and defeated Bin Laden operatives planning a series of attacks against the US alongside the FBI. The CIA broke up a large terrorist cell in Jordan that was planning to blow up the Radisson Hotel, holy sites, and Israeli tour buses, and had plans to use chemical weapons. During this time, Ahmad Ressam was arrested coming into the United States from the Canadian border, which provided the CIA with knowledge that Bin Laden was planning to attack the United States. In 2000 there was an increase in Ramadan related threats in which the CIA, in conjunction with a number of foreign governments, was able to thwart planned attacks, including one against US interests. During the spring and summer of 2001, the CIA noticed a substantial increase in the amount of threats being reported. While working with the FBI and foreign liaison services, the CIA prevented attacks against US facilities and people in Europe and the Middle East. The CIA considered themselves to be at war with Al Qaeda since 1998 and for the most part was on the

Living the United State when one thinks of a terrorist attacks often their mind will first go to a larger scale attack such as the events of September 11th 2001. “September 11, 2001 changed the United States forever, the terrorist attack that day marked a dramatic escalation in a trend toward more destructive terrorist attacks which began in the 1980s. It also reflected a trend toward more indiscriminate targeting among international terrorists. The vast majority of the more than 3,000 victims of the attack were civilians. In addition, the attack represented the first known case of suicide attacks carried out by international terrorists in the United States.” (Waston, 2002) However as the years have gone by we have come to learn that terrorist attacks are not always on a large scale and that even one person who is inspired by the ideologies of a terrorist group without being directly connected to them can carry out attacks. Those that engage in this type of terrorism are referred to as lone wolf terrorist. A recent example of such an even was the mass shooting at the San Bernardino Inland Regional Center in December of 2015.

Terrorism and the United States A cloud of anthrax spores looming in the sky of San Diego California

It has been over a decade and a half since Americans were first exposed to the power of foreign terrorism. The twin tower attacks left us helpless. Americans didn’t see it coming and we were even more unsure of how to respond to such a tragedy. Who would want to kill innocent people on purpose? Why? It wreaked fear over the American population for years. Its ghost, constantly revived with every sensationalized explosion, every failed attempt, every image of that Muslim man deeply dedicated to the Islamic ideology. Americans had never experienced such a huge attack from a foreign enemy since Pearl Harbor and we would do anything to prevent this atrocity from happening again.

The immediacy and the primacy of any truly potent force is the ability to perpetuate itself. Sharp and energetic outbursts have their place, and can be known to have great effect-cataclysmic forces, despite their maximum destructive potential, are temporary in their total effects in relation to some absolute goal. In other words, they are generally limited in scope, and well defined in purpose; there is a tactical objective, which is usually consummated quickly. The more dreaded force creeps along, escalating incrementally, and while it may abide a strategic goal, or even a policy, it is generally open-ended. This sort of ambiguity I am referring to differs from the flexible tactical necessity in that strategic outcomes are very much