The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an
international military campaign which started as a result of the 11 September
2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. This resulted in an international
military campaign to eliminate al-Qaeda and other militant organizations. The
United Kingdom and many other NATO and non-NATO nations participated in the
conflict. The phrase 'War on Terror' was first used by US President George W.
Bush on 20 September 2001. The Bush administration and the Western media have
since used the term to signify a global military, political, lawful, and
conceptual struggle targeting both organizations designated as terrorist and
regimes accused of supporting them. It was typically used with a particular
focus on militant Islamists and al-Qaeda. Although the term is not officially
used by the administration of US President Barack Obama, it is still commonly
used by politicians, in the media and by some aspects of government officially,
such as the United States' Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
