Born in 1957 in Saudi Arabia, Osama bin Laden was the son of a prosperous Saudi construction magnate. His privileged upbringing did not deter him from becoming involved in global conflicts later in life.
After the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in late 1979, bin Laden began supporting the Afghan resistance by offering both financial resources and logistical assistance to the mujahideen fighters resisting the Soviet occupation.
In 1988, following the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, bin Laden established a militant organization known as al Qaeda—which translates to “the Base”—to continue what he considered a religious struggle, or jihad, by means of violent actions.
Al Qaeda quickly developed into a well-organized network, securing funding, creating training centers, and offering military and intelligence education in regions such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Sudan. Under bin Laden’s leadership, the group began carrying out acts of terrorism across multiple countries as part of its broader extremist objectives.
During this period, bin Laden’s hostility toward the United States grew significantly. He vehemently opposed the presence of American troops in Saudi Arabia and military involvement in Somalia, believing these actions justified retaliatory violence to force U.S. withdrawal from the Muslim world.
After relocating to Sudan in the early 1990s, bin Laden began devising strategies to strike Western targets, promoting a radical interpretation of jihad that embraced widespread violence.
He and other al Qaeda leaders started issuing fatwas—religious declarations—claiming that attacks against American civilians and interests were both justified and obligatory. Eventually, bin Laden publicly declared war on the United States, marking the beginning of a deadly campaign that would culminate in global consequences.
