al-Qaeda

American  

[al-key-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

Example Sentences

Muhammad Rahim arrived at Guantanamo in March 2008 and was accused by the CIA of being a close associate of the al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

From Barron's

He wrote extensively about the rise of al-Qaeda affiliates in the region and the growing influence of tech and new outsourcing industries while cultivating a taste for offbeat and obscure stories.

From The Wall Street Journal

US authorities say he was a senior al-Qaeda figure and had long-term associations with Osama Bin Laden.

From BBC

Having fought US troops in Iraq, Al Sharaa set up an al-Qaeda offshoot in Syria, which was in fact fiercely opposed to IS though the groups had similar roots.

From BBC

In October 2001 the US invaded Afghanistan to oust the Taliban, whom they said were harbouring Osama Bin Laden and other al-Qaeda figures linked to the 9/11 attacks the previous month.

From BBC