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• al-Qaeda
  al-Qaeda

  noun

  a radical Sunni Muslim organization dedicated to the elimination of a Western presence in Arab countries and militantly opposed to Western foreign policy: founded by Osama bin Laden in 1988.
• Al Qaeda
  Al Qaeda

  An Islamic terrorist network headed by Osama bin Laden. It is generally believed to have been responsible for the September 11 attacks.

al-Qaeda

American  

[al-kay-duh, -kahy-duh] / ælˈkeɪ də, -ˈkaɪ də /

Or al-Qaida

noun

1. a radical Sunni Muslim organization dedicated to the elimination of a Western presence in Arab countries and militantly opposed to Western foreign policy: founded by Osama bin Laden in 1988.

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al-Qaeda British  

/ ælˈkaɪdə, ælkɑːˈiːdə /

noun

1. a loosely-knit militant Islamic organization led and funded by Osama bin Laden, by whom it was established in the late 1980s from Arab volunteers who had fought the Soviet troops previously based in Afghanistan; known or believed to be behind a number of operations against Western, especially US, interests, including bomb attacks on two US embassies in Africa in 1998 and the destruction of the World Trade Center in New York in 2001

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Al Qaeda Cultural  

1. An Islamic terrorist network headed by Osama bin Laden. It is generally believed to have been responsible for the September 11 attacks.

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Etymology

Origin of al-Qaeda

From the Arabic word al-qa'ida, literally, the base

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

al-Qaeda Al Qaeda

A teenager who was 16 when he was arrested at Heathrow Airport has been jailed after being convicted of providing cyber-security support to groups including al-Qaeda.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

Less than a month later, the US and its allies invaded Afghanistan, seeking to destroy al-Qaeda.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

They show increasing alarm over the al-Qaeda network and its leader, Osama Bin Laden.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

While the 9/11 Commission's 2004 report noted US intelligence believed al-Qaeda was considering using an airplane in the attack, it was never clear that the warning reached then-President Bill Clinton.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

“It is not good that outside elements, like al-Qaeda, are ruining Afghanistan.”

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

"Generations of C.I.A. officers have since dedicated their careers to securing justice for our fallen Americans and ensuring Al Qaeda would never again harm our country," he added.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

The National Security Agency also developed a behavioral profiling program, SKYNET, to identify Al Qaeda couriers in Afghanistan.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2026

HTS was set up under a different name, Jabhat al-Nusra, in 2011 as a direct affiliate of Al Qaeda.

From BBC ● Nov. 30, 2024

Although U.N. monitors say that foreign fighters have indeed traveled to Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power — there’s no doubt Al Qaeda retains a presence there — those fighters don’t have unfettered movement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2024

Al Qaeda in Iraq is now largely Iraqi-run and composed of Sunni Arabs.

From The Iraq Study Group Report by Iraq Study Group (U.S.)

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