Osama bin Laden’s Declaration of Jihad on the Americans Occupying the Country of the Two Sacred Places, issued in August 1996, was his first call for jihad against the United States. Also known as the “Ladenese Epistle,” the document can be taken to represent al Qaeda’s declaration of war on Washington. In the context of debates among Muslim militants, Bin Laden’s Declaration of Jihad called for adjusting strategy. Instead of fighting local battles, they would wage a global-scale jihad against the Western superpower in response to its assaults on Muslims. The declaration also addresses issues specific to Saudi Arabia, asserting that American forces on Saudi soil constitute a military occupation and that Muslims should expel them.