al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled al-Qaida, al-Qa'ida or al-Qa'idah, is an international alliance of Sunni Islamic terrorist organizations founded in 1988 by Abdullah Yusuf Azzam and other veteran "Afghan Arabs" after the Soviet War in Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda has attacked civilian and military targets in various countries, the most notable being the September 11 attacks in 2001. These actions were followed by the US government launching a military and intelligence campaign against al-Qaeda called the War on Terror.

Al-Qaeda's objectives include the end of foreign influence in Muslim countries and the creation of a new Islamic caliphate.