Declaration of War: Osama bin Laden’s 1996 Fatwa Against the United States

August 23, 1996: Osama bin Laden issued his first fatwa (religious edict) calling for attacks against U.S. interests. This fatwa, titled “Declaration of War Against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Places,” was published in a London-based newspaper and marked a significant escalation in his anti-American rhetoric.