U.S. officials named Islamic militant Osama bin Laden as the prime suspect behind the September 11 attacks on the United States. Bin Laden heads the al Qaeda network, a band of pro-Islamic fundamentalists that operated in Afghanistan with the support of the ruling government, the Taliban. Bin Laden is also accused in other attacks on U.S. interests in Africa and the Middle East.
In a mission to find and punish terrorists or "those harboring terrorists," the United States and an international coalition began airstrikes on Afghanistan on October 7.
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