Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda

Historical Background- In approximately 1989, Bin Laden and co-defendant Muhammad Atef founded "Al Qaeda," “an international terrorist group ... which was dedicated to opposing non-Islamic governments with force and violence." (“Al Qaeda” pbs.org). -Al-Qaeda is a Sunni militant Islamist organization that was founded by Saudi national Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan in 1988.("the facts about Al-Queda janes.com)

Causes
-One of the principal goals of Al Qaeda was to drive the United States armed forces out of Saudi Arabia (and elsewhere on the Saudi Arabian peninsula) and Somalia by violence." (“Al Qaeda” pbs.org)
-Al-Qaeda helped finance, recruit, transport and train thousands of fighters from dozens of countries to be part of an Afghan resistance to defeat the Soviet Union (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/al-qaida.htm)
- A-Qaeda's current goal is to establish a pan-Islamic Caliphate throughout the world by working with allied Islamic extremist groups to overthrow regimes it deems "non-Islamic" and expelling Westerners and non-Muslims from Muslim countries.( http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/Al-qaida.htm)
-Al Qaeda has been involved in a power struggle with Sunni Arab tribes in western Anbar province after U.S. forces adopted a new strategy of arming and training local tribesmen as provincial police in the fight against al Qaeda.(reuters.com)
-The group’s long-term aim is the creation of a pan-Islamic caliphate based on its interpretation of the Quran. ("the facts about Al-Queda" janes.com)
-In addition to Al-Qaeda’s initial focus on attacking United States interests, ostensibly in an effort to force it to withdraw its military forces from Muslim countries, the overthrow of perceived apostate Arab regimes remains a stated priority, as does the destruction of Israel.("the facts about Al-Queda" janes.com)
-In Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda established training camps and dispatched militants to launch attacks on US interests ("the facts about Al-Queda" janes.com)
-Al-Qaeda’s administrative and recruitment foundation sprang from the associations of Muslim warriors (mujahideen ) that had formed in the early 1980s to fight the Soviet invaders in Afghanistan. These fighters later became the backbone of Al-Qaeda’s forces.("Al-Queda" encyclopedia.com)
-to establish Islamic regimes like the Taliban, based on Islamic religious law, in all the Arab states.("Al-Queda" encyclopedia.com)
-to free all Islamic lands from any Western presence or influence.("Al-Queda" encyclopedia.com)
-to establish the “pious caliphate” (a pan-Arabic Islamic kingdom) over all the Muslim lands.("Al-Queda" encyclopedia.com)
-The principal stated aims of al-Qaeda are to drive Americans and American influence out of all Muslim nations.("Al-Queda" info please.com)

Effects
-attacks on the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam in 1998, followed by the co-ordinated attacks