Osama Bin Laden Profile

OSAMA BIN LADEN PROFILE 1957 Osama Bin Laden was bom in Saudi Arabia to Osama bin Muhammad bin Awad bin Laden and his 10th wife Hamida al-Attas. Mohammed Bin Laden was a construction tycoon in Saudi Arabia and a part of the country's elite. The young Bin Laden traveled to Afghanistan, with the blessings of Saudi Arabia rulers, to aid in the insurgence effort against Soviet Union occupation. He was heavily involved with the Afghan Arabs, which were Muslim men from various countries who streamed into Afghanistan to fight for the cause. 1980s This force was considered the first modern example of an intemational Muslim coalition against a non-Muslim power. Al-Qaeda was born out of Bin Laden's involvement with this group. Bin Laden's assault against the US begins. His first attack was probably the 1992 bombing of a hotel in Yemen, which targeted American troops staying there. During this decade, he also funded several Islamic military groups around the world, including the Taliban of Afghanistan. 1990s Late in the decade, he began planning for the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. 2000s His operatives carried at the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center in 2001. This attack killed nearly 3,000 people. Shortly after 9/11, US military and intelligence personnel identified Bin Laden's role in the attacks and went after him, the Taliban, and Al-Qaeda. In December 2001, he was besieged by US troops in Tora Bora, a cave complex in eastern Afghanistan. However, he managed to escape to Pakistan. Since then, he's been under the radar and on the run from the US forces. On May 1st, 2011, he was killed by US Navy Seals in a mansion located in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The US first received the tip about this location in August 2010. Subsequently, US officials confirmed the information, trained the Navy Seals in a model mansion built in the US, and flew the Navy Seals in by helicopters to execute the attack. 2011 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES Source: IBTimes.com