Osama bin Laden hated the United States primarily because of several grievances he and al-Qaeda had against U.S. policies and actions in the Muslim world. Key reasons include:
- The presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's two holiest sites, which he viewed as a violation and occupation of sacred land.
- U.S. support for Israel and its policies against Palestinians, which bin Laden denounced as criminal and oppressive.
- American military interventions and support for regimes in Muslim countries such as Somalia, Chechnya, Kashmir, Lebanon, and the Philippines.
- Economic sanctions against Iraq that harmed Muslims.
- Criticism of American culture as immoral, and environmental destruction caused by the U.S.
- His broader goal was to fight what he saw as U.S. imperialism and to incite a Muslim revolution against Western influence.
He issued fatwas calling for jihad against the U.S. and saw attacks as retaliation and a way to "bleed America" economically by dragging it into prolonged conflicts in the Muslim world.
