Answer :

The targets were in Africa, which is not far from the Middle East.

The targets were in Africa, which is not far from the Middle East is the correct answer.

Al-Qaeda is a militant Sunni Islamist multi-national organization founded in 1988 by Osama bin Laden, Abdullah Azzam, along with many other Arab volunteers during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

They were responsible for 9/11 attack, and they most likely chose its first American bombing targets in Africa, which is not far from middle east, the latter being the cradle of al-Qaida.