Iraq War

Osama Bin Laden

Arab terrorist who established al-Qaeda (born in 1957)

Kuwait

Country that Saddam Hussein for its rich oil resources

Saddam Hussein

Iraqi leader who waged war against Iran

Taliban

A group of fundamentalist Muslims who took control of Afghanistan's government in 1996

Jihad

Holy War inflicted by Muslims

Al-Qaeda

a network of Islamic terrorist organizations, led by Osama bin Laden, that carried out the attacks on the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998, the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000, and the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in 2001

Terrorism

the calculated use of violence (or threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature

Afghanistan

the soviet army entered afghanistan in 1978. they started fighting the soviets. The US provided training and weapons to anti-Soviet forces. They defeated Soviets, leading to the rise of the Taliban who provided a safe heaven for Al-Qaeda and attack of 9/11

Islam

the monotheistic religion of Muslims founded in Arabia in the 7th century and based on the teachings of Muhammad as laid down in the Koran

Muslim

a believer or follower of Islam

Terrorist Cell

An imbedded group of terrorists hiding in a target country

Israel

Country founded in 1947 as a Jewish safe haven.

Ottoman Empire

A Muslim empire based in Turkey that lasted from the 1300's to 1922.

Great Britain

an island comprising England and Scotland and Wales

West Bank/Gaza

Two controversial parts of the Middle East that are contested over by Israelis and Palestinians

1947 United Nation Plan

A plan for the future government of palestine, it would lead to the creation of independent arab and jewish states and the special international regime for the city of jerusalem.

Six Day War

tension between Arabs and Israeli erupted into a brief war in June 1967

Yom Kippur War

Egypt and Syria attacked Israel in October 1973 (on Yom Kippur)

Oslo Accords

an agreement in 1993 in which Israeli prime minister Rabin granted Palestinian self-rule in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Palestinian Refugees

the former residents of isreal area where forced into refugee camps

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Conflict over landownership in Israel/Palestine. This conflict has at times involved most of the nations of the Middle East as well as the United States and the Soviet Union. Widespread terrorism against Israel and its allies occurs because of this conflict.

Iraq

a republic in the Middle East in western Asia

Kurds

a minority group in Turkey and neighboring countries

Gulf War

a dispute over control of the waterway between Iraq and Iran broke out into open fighting in 1980 and continued until 1988, when they accepted a UN cease-fire resolution

Weapons of Mass Destruction

nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons that can kill tens of thousands of people all at once

President George W Bush

an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States (1989-93). He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States (1981-89), a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.