"OSAMA BIN LADEN" - Born in Saudi Arabia in 1957, one of more than 50 children of millionaire businessman Mohamed bin Laden, he lost his father while still a boy -- killed in a plane crash, apparently due to an error by his American pilot.
Osama's first marriage, to a Syrian cousin, came at the age of 17 and he is reported to have at least 23 children from at least five wives. Part of a family that made its fortune in the oil-funded Saudi construction boom; Laden was a shy boy and an average student, who took a degree in civil engineering.
Osama's first marriage, to a Syrian cousin, came at the age of 17 and he is reported to have at least 23 children from at least five wives. Part of a family that made its fortune in the oil-funded Saudi construction boom; Laden was a shy boy and an average student, who took a degree in civil engineering.
He went to Pakistan soon after the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and raised funds at home before making his way to the Afghan front lines and developing militant training camps.
According to some accounts, he helped form al Qaeda in the dying days of the Soviet occupation. A book by U.S. writer Steve Coll, "The Bin Ladens", suggested the death in 1988 of his extrovert half-brother Salem - again in a plane crash - was an important factor in Osama's radicalisation.
According to some accounts, he helped form al Qaeda in the dying days of the Soviet occupation. A book by U.S. writer Steve Coll, "The Bin Ladens", suggested the death in 1988 of his extrovert half-brother Salem - again in a plane crash - was an important factor in Osama's radicalisation.
Challenging the might of the "infidel" United States, Osama Bin Laden master-Minded the deadliest militant attacks in history and then built a global network of allies to wage a "holy war" intended to outlive him.
The man behind the suicide hijack attacks of 9/11 and who US officials said late on Sunday was dead; was the nemesis of former President George W. Bush, who pledged to take him "dead or alive" and whose two terms were dominated by a "war on terror" against his al Qaeda network.
Widely assumed to be hiding in Pakistan - whether in a mountain cave or a bustling city - bin Laden was believed to be largely bereft of operational control, under threat from U.S. drone strikes and struggling with disenchantment among former supporters alienated by suicide attacks in Iraq in 2004-06.
The man behind the suicide hijack attacks of 9/11 and who US officials said late on Sunday was dead; was the nemesis of former President George W. Bush, who pledged to take him "dead or alive" and whose two terms were dominated by a "war on terror" against his al Qaeda network.
Widely assumed to be hiding in Pakistan - whether in a mountain cave or a bustling city - bin Laden was believed to be largely bereft of operational control, under threat from U.S. drone strikes and struggling with disenchantment among former supporters alienated by suicide attacks in Iraq in 2004-06.
The Saudi-Born militant appeared to hit upon a strategy of smaller; more easily-organised attacks, carried out by globally-scattered hubs of sympathisers and affiliate groups. Whether reviled as a terrorist and mass murderer or hailed as the champion of oppressed Muslims fighting injustice and humiliation, bin Laden changed the course of history.
Bin Laden condemned the presence in Saudi Arabia of U.S. troops sent to eject Iraqi forces from Kuwait after the 1990 invasion, and remained convinced that the Muslim world was the victim of international terrorism engineered by America.
He called for a jihad against the United States, which had spent billions of dollars bankrolling the Afghan resistance in which he had fought.
With his long grey beard and wistful expression, bin Laden became one of the most instantly recognisable people on the planet, his gaunt face staring out from propaganda videos and framed on a U.S. website offering a $25 million bounty.
With his long grey beard and wistful expression, bin Laden became one of the most instantly recognisable people on the planet, his gaunt face staring out from propaganda videos and framed on a U.S. website offering a $25 million bounty.
The Taliban paid a heavy price for sheltering bin Laden and his fighters, suffering a humiliating defeat after a US led invasion in the weeks after the 9/11 attacks.
Lifeline of Mumbaities is Local Railway. Lifeline for the world is - Aluminium, Copper, Crude, Gold, Lead, Natural Gas, Nickel, Silver, Zinc. |
| Recent Articles By - Jignesh Vyas |
| |
No comments:
Post a Comment