The Afghan war assembled previously isolated Islamist militants into a movement

Evidence

Until that point, those who believed that taking up arms might advance their political aims were in a minority and had no program outside of isolated acts of urban terror, Gerges argues. In fact, most were seen as outlaws in their countries of origin. The Afghan war served to unite them, train them, and give their movement life. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 409

Categorization

Category: Causal Relationships

Related

• Afghan war transformed scattered urban militants into an organized movement (similarity 0.88)
• The Afghan war created an Islamist infrastructure and mindset aimed at further victories. (similarity 0.84)
• The Afghan war transformed marginal terrorists into an organized movement (similarity 0.84)
• The Afghan war created the first global Muslim volunteer army (similarity 0.80)
• Soviet defeat in Afghanistan legitimized Islamist militancy in the region (similarity 0.80)
• The Taliban functioned as Pakistan’s proxy, not a genuine anti-imperialist movement (similarity 0.79)
• Jihadists believed their Afghan war defeated the USSR and emboldened attacks on the US (similarity 0.79)
• Afghan war veterans formed a floating Islamist international fighting across many conflicts. (similarity 0.78)