Editing Osama bin Laden (section)

=== Return to Afghanistan ===
The 9/11 Commission Report states:

<blockquote>In February 1996, Sudanese officials began approaching officials from the United States and other governments, asking what actions of theirs might ease foreign pressure. In secret meetings with Saudi officials, Sudan offered to expel Bin Laden to Saudi Arabia and asked the Saudis to pardon him. US officials became aware of these secret discussions, certainly by March. Saudi officials apparently wanted Bin Laden expelled from Sudan. They had already revoked his citizenship, however, and would not tolerate his presence in their country. Also Bin Laden may have no longer felt safe in Sudan, where he had already escaped at least one assassination attempt that he believed to have been the work of the Egyptian or Saudi regimes, and paid for by the [[CIA]].</blockquote>

Due to the increasing pressure on Sudan from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United States, Bin Laden was permitted to leave for a country of his choice. He chose to return to [[Jalalabad]], Afghanistan aboard a chartered flight on 18 May 1996; there he forged a close relationship with Mullah Omar.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/la-120601tora-story.html |title=Fighters Hunt Former Ally |work=Los Angeles Times |last=Stack |first=Megan K. |date=6 December 2001 |access-date=28 May 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090919134203/http://articles.latimes.com/2001/dec/06/news/mn-12224 |archive-date=19 September 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1550419.stm |title=Profile: Mullah Mohamed Omar |date=18 September 2001 |work=BBC News |access-date=28 May 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100728110131/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1550419.stm |archive-date=28 July 2010 }}</ref> The expulsion from Sudan significantly weakened Bin Laden and his organization.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch2.pdf |title=The Foundation of the New Terrorism |publisher=9/11 Commission |access-date=28 May 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100827082338/http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch2.pdf |archive-date=27 August 2010 }}</ref> Some African intelligence sources have argued that the expulsion left Bin Laden without an option other than becoming a full-time radical, and that most of the 300 Afghan Arabs who left with him subsequently became terrorists.<ref name=VF2002 /> Various sources report that he lost between $20&nbsp;million<ref>{{Harvnb|Wright|2006|p=222}}</ref> and $300&nbsp;million<ref>{{Harvnb|Stern|2003|p=253}}</ref> in Sudan; the government seized his construction equipment, and he was forced to liquidate his businesses, land, and even his horses.

==== 1996 Declaration of war and 1998 fatwa ====
{{Main|Fatawā of Osama bin Laden}}
In August 1996, Bin Laden [[Fatawā of Osama bin Laden#1996 fatwā|issued a]] ''[[Fatwa|fatwā]]'' titled "''Declaration of War against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Places''", which was published by ''[[Al-Quds Al-Arabi]]'', a London-based newspaper. Saudi Arabia is sometimes called "The Land of the Two Holy Mosques" in reference to Mecca and Medina. The reference to occupation in the ''[[Fatwa|fatwā]]'' referred to U.S. forces based in Saudi Arabia for the purpose of controlling air space in Iraq, known as [[Operation Southern Watch]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Bergen|2008|p=14}}.</ref> Despite the assurance of President [[George H. W. Bush]] to King Fahd in 1990, that all U.S. forces based in Saudi Arabia would be withdrawn once the Iraqi threat had been dealt with, by 1996 the Americans were still there. Bush cited the necessity of dealing with the remnants of Saddam Hussein's regime (which Bush had chosen not to destroy). Bin Laden's view was that "the 'evils' of the Middle East arose from America's attempt to take over the region and from its support for Israel. Saudi Arabia had been turned into an [[American colonialism|American colony]]".<ref name="Fisk-p22">{{cite book |last=Fisk |first=Robert |title=The Great War for Civilisation |year=2005 |page=22}}</ref>

Fervently attacking [[American-Israeli relations|American support for Israel]] and Saudi Arabia as well as its [[Sanctions against Iraq|sanctions on Iraq]], Bin Laden declared in the ''fatwa'': <blockquote>"Terrorising you, while you are carrying arms on our land, is a legitimate and morally demanded duty. It is a legitimate right well known to all humans and other creatures... [our] youths are different from your soldiers. Your problem will be how to convince your troops to fight, while our problem will be how to restrain our youths.. The youths hold you responsible for all of the killings and evictions of the Muslims and the violation of the sanctities, carried out by your [[Israeli invasion and occupation of South Lebanon (1982-2000)|Zionist brothers in Lebanon]]; you openly supplied them with arms and finance. More than 600,000 Iraqi children have died due to lack of food and medicine and as a result of the unjustifiable aggression ([[Sanctions against Iraq|sanction]]) imposed on Iraq and its nation. The children of Iraq are our children. You, the USA, together with the Saudi regime are responsible for the shedding of the blood of these innocent children. Due to all of that, what ever treaty you have with our country is now null and void."<ref>{{cite web |date=August 1996 |title=Bin Laden's Fatwa |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/terrorism/international/fatwa_1996.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011031024057/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/terrorism/international/fatwa_1996.html |archive-date=31 October 2001 |access-date=25 June 2011 |publisher=PBS}}</ref></blockquote>[[File:Hamid Mir interviewing Osama bin Laden.jpg|thumb|Pakistani journalist [[Hamid Mir]] interviewing Bin Laden, {{circa|1997–1998}}. The [[AKS-74U]] in the background is a symbol of the [[mujahideen]]'s [[Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan|victory over the Soviets]], since these weapons were captured from [[Spetsnaz]] forces.]]

On 23 February 1998; Bin Laden, alongside [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]], [[Ahmed Refai Taha|Ahmad Refai Taha]], [[Shaykh Mir Hamzah]] and [[Maulana Fazlur Rehman|Maulana Fazlur Rahman]]; issued [[Fatawā of Osama bin Laden#1998 fatwā|another ''fatwā'']] against the U.S., calling upon Muslims to attack the country and its allies. It was entitled "''Declaration of the World Islamic Front for Jihad against the Jews and the Crusaders''".<ref name="irp.fas.org">{{Cite web |title=Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders: World Islamic Front Statement |url=https://irp.fas.org/world/para/docs/980223-fatwa.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204143050/https://irp.fas.org/world/para/docs/980223-fatwa.htm |archive-date=4 December 2021 |access-date= |website=FAS Intelligence Resource Program}}</ref> After listing numerous acts of aggression committed by the U.S., such as the [[Operation Southern Watch|presence of American forces in the Arabian Peninsula]], sanctions against Iraq, Israeli repression of Palestinians, among other things. The fatwa stated: <blockquote>"All these American crimes and sins are a clear proclamation of war against God, his Messenger, and the Muslims. Religious scholars throughout Islamic history have agreed that ''Jihad'' is an individual duty when an enemy attacks Muslim countries. This was related by the [[Imam]] [[Ibn Qudamah|ibn Qudama]] in "''The Resource''," by Imam [[al-Kisa'i]] in "''The Marvels''," by [[al-Qurtubi]] in his exegesis, and by the Sheikh of Islam when he states in his chronicles that "As for fighting to repel an enemy, which is the strongest way to defend freedom and religion, it is agreed that this is a duty. After faith, there is no greater duty than fighting an enemy who is corrupting religion and the world.""<ref>{{cite book |title=Messages to the World: The Statements of Osama bin Laden |publisher=Verso |year=2005 |isbn=1-84467-045-7 |editor=Bruce Lawrence |location=6 Meard Street, London W1F OEG |pages=60, 61}}</ref><ref name="irp.fas.org"/></blockquote>

At the public announcement, Bin Laden said that North Americans are "very easy targets". He told the attending journalists, "You will see the results of this in a very short time."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Van Atta |first=Dale |author-link=Dale Van Atta |year=1998 |title=Carbombs & cameras: the need for responsible media coverage of terrorism |url=https://archive.org/details/trustbetrayedins00vana/page/66 |journal=Harvard International Review |location=Cambridge, Mass. |publisher=Harvard International Relations Council |volume=20 |issue=4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/trustbetrayedins00vana/page/66 66] |isbn=978-0-89526-485-5 |issn=0739-1854 |access-date=28 May 2010}}</ref> It also claimed the "individual duty for every Muslim "was to liberate [[Al-Aqsa]] in [[Jerusalem]] and the [[Masjid al-Haram|Grand Mosque in Mecca]] from their grip.<ref>{{cite web |author=Shaykh Usamah Bin-Muhammad Bin-Ladin |last2=al-Zawahiri |first2=Ayman |author3=Abu-Yasir Rifa'i Ahmad Taha |author4=Shaykh Mir Hamzah |last5=Rahman |first5=Fazlur |date=23 February 1998 |title=World Islamic Front for Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders: Initial "Fatwa" Statement |url=http://www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/fatw2.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160626184406/https://www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/fatw2.htm |archive-date=26 June 2016 |access-date=28 May 2010 |work=al-Quds al-Arabi |language=ar}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Shaykh Usamah Bin-Muhammad Bin-Ladin |last2=al-Zawahiri |first2=Ayman |author3=Abu-Yasir Rifa'i Ahmad Taha |author4=Shaykh Mir Hamzah |last5=Rahman |first5=Fazlur |date=23 February 1998 |title=Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders. World Islamic Front Statement |url=https://fas.org/irp/world/para/docs/980223-fatwa.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100421110549/http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/docs/980223-fatwa.htm |archive-date=21 April 2010 |access-date=28 May 2010 |publisher=al-Quds al-Arabi}} English-language version of the fatwa translated by the [[Federation of American Scientists]] of the [http://www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/fatw2.htm original Arabic document published in the newspaper ''al-Quds al-Arabi'' (London, UK) on 1998-02-23, p. 3] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160626184406/https://www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/fatw2.htm|date=26 June 2016}}.</ref>