Al Qaeda was mostly composed of fanatical young Pakistanis, Chechens, Arabs, and Egyptians who were for the most part despised by the Native Afghans.
Al Qaeda and the Taliban represented a foreign influence that the Afghans wanted no part of. The Afghans hated foreign invaders, and the penalty for enemy soldiers captured by the Northern Alliance, if they were not of Afghan descent, would be a slow, miserable death. (The Hunt for Bin Laden: Task Force Dagger 17) Although the group is responsible for many minor terrorist attacks and terror threats to America, they are most wanted for their attacks on 9/11. At first, Osama bin Laden denied responsibility of the September 11th attacks. Finally in 2004, Osama took full responsibility dragging along his fellow members of Al Qaeda. However, America refused to let Al Qaeda get away with these atrocities. Shortly after the attacks, on September 20, 2001, President George W. Bush declared war in Afghanistan. George W. Bush was elected by voters who expected a repeat of the presidency of George Herbert Walker Bush. He reinforced that belief when he said, at a campaign debate in October 2000, that he planned to pursue a "humble" foreign policy: "If we're an arrogant nation, they'll resent us; if we're a humble nation, but strong, they'll welcome us." But after 9/11, George W. Bush parted ways with the traditions of his father, and that decision has had consequences that are still playing themselves out. (State Of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration 2) Although extremely frightened, those in the army were full of patriotism and ready to fight for the good of their country. While fully aware of the enormous challenges that still lie ahead, HM3 Fonseca says he supports the way the president responded in the wake of 9/11: "I'm glad our commander in chief took the time to figure out what was going on and plan accordingly.
