Glossary
The 9/11 attacks on the United States and their aftermath thrust a number of groups, ideologies, people and places into the world spotlight.
Here is a glossary:
- Al-Qaeda : A worldwide network of Islamic extremist groups, Al-Qaeda was formed around 1988 by fighters in the mujahedin resistance to the Soviet takeover of Afghanistan in 1979. It had been linked to dozens of terror attacks around the world before shooting to global infamy with the 9/11 attacks. The hard core of Al-Qaeda, which means "The Base" in Arabic, was led by Saudi billionaire Osama bin Laden until his killing in 2011. He was replaced by his number two, Ayman al-Zawahiri from Egypt.
- CIA : Created in 1947, the Central Intelligence Agency has the mission of defending the United States, with its more than 22,000 employees and an annual budget of more than $15 billion. It is charged with intelligence and undercover operations outside US territory. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the country's domestic intelligence and security service.
- Ground Zero : An American expression to indicate the precise place where an explosion has taken place. During the 9/11 attacks, Ground Zero was situated on the ruins of the World Trade Center.
- Guantanamo Bay : The notorious military prison was opened in January 2002 on a US military base on a coastal spit of land in southern Cuba. It was set up in the wake of the 9/11 attacks under the administration of then president George W. Bush to deal with prisoners who became termed "enemy combattants". About 760 prisoners from around the world have since transited the prison in the absence of a legal framework. In January 2018 President Donald Trump ordered the prison be kept open, his predecessor Barack Obama having failed to close it.
- Jihad : The Arab word for "holy war", jihad also means "to make an effort". Islamist groups like Al-Qaeda have declared jihad against the West and also against Muslim regimes they consider impious. Bin Laden called his followers to jihad in 1991 and there has since been a multitude of attacks around the world by groups claiming to be acting within this "holy war".
- Navy SEALs : An acronym for Sea, Air and Land, the SEALs are the US Navy's elite commandos who carried out the operation that located and killed bin Laden. The SEALs are known for their tough selection and training processes that push the limits of human endurance.
- Osama bin Laden : Born to a rich Saudi family in 1957, the former Al-Qaeda leader was -- even before the 9/11 attacks -- on the US most-wanted list for the 1998 bombing on US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that left 224 people dead. After a 10-year manhunt launched after 9/11, he was killed by US commandos on May 2, 2011 in Pakistan.
- Pentagon : The US Defense Department headquarters, also attacked on 9/11, is located in Virginia just outside Washington. The five-sided building is the country's largest office complex, with more than 24,000 people working within its walls. It is the home of the National Military Command Center.
- Taliban : Meaning "religious students", the austere fundamentalist movement fought itsway to power in Afghanistan in 1996 following the departure of Soviet troops. It installed a regime based on a hardline interpretation of Islamic law. Its territory became a sanctuary for jihadists from around the world who came to train in Afghanistan, the Taliban becoming close to Al-Qaeda and sheltering bin Laden. The regime was toppled in a US-led operation after the 9/11 attacks. The Taliban set up base in neighbouring Pakistan's tribal zones from where it launched an insurgency against the new Afghan government and its Western allies, whom it labelled "crusaders".
- World Trade Center : The New York landmark demolished in the 9/11 attacks was one of the world's largest commercial complexes, housing businesses, government agencies and international trade organisations. Comprising two majestic 110-storey twin rectangular towers, one rising
to 414 metres and the other to 417 metres, it had already been the target of a car bomb attack in 1993.