ChronoFive
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Setting the scene
Osama bin Laden declared war on the United States on August 23, 1996, issuing a fatwa titled 'Declaration of War against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Places' from Afghanistan. Bin Laden, a Saudi who had fought Soviets in Afghanistan, founded al-Qaeda in 1988 and was expelled from Saudi Arabia in 1991 and Sudan in 1996. His declaration was published in a London newspaper.
What happened
The fatwa cited U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia since the Gulf War, U.S. support for Israel, and sanctions on Iraq as reasons for jihad. Bin Laden called for attacks on American military and civilians worldwide. The declaration was largely ignored in the West at the time—bin Laden was seen as a fringe extremist, not a strategic threat. The CIA had a small unit tracking him but limited resources.
Why it still matters
The 1996 declaration preceded the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, the 2000 USS Cole bombing, and the September 11, 2001 attacks. It was a clear warning that was not heeded. The fatwa demonstrated al-Qaeda's shift from fighting near enemies (Arab regimes) to the far enemy (America) and established the ideological justification for global jihad. August 23, 1996, marked the beginning of the war that would define the 21st century.
Background
Embassy bombings followed in Africa.