Al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled Al-Qaida, is an Islamist group founded sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless arm and a fundamentalist Sunni movement calling for global jihad. Al-Qaeda has attacked civilian and military targets in various countries, the most notable being the September 11 attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. in 2001. The US government responded by launching the War on Terrorism.