The latest news and top stories on al-Qaeda. A transnational militant Sunni Islamist organisation, al-Qaeda was founded in 1988 by Osama bin Laden. Its primary mission is to wage global jihad against perceived enemies of Islam, particularly the United States and its allies, aiming to establish a global Islamic caliphate. Historically based in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sudan, it operates through a decentralised network of affiliates worldwide. Al-Qaeda is infamous for orchestrating numerous terrorist attacks, including the September 11 2001 attacks in the US, the 1998 US embassy bombings and inspiring the 2005 London transit bombings.