U.S. Cold War funding created the mujahedeen who became Al Qaeda

Evidence

The mujahideen are significant not only because they illustrate yet another instance of the United States’ willingness to encourage Islamism when it suited its larger political goals but also because the foundations of al-Qaeda emerged from the mujahideen resistance to the Soviets. A young businessman from Saudi Arabia, Osama bin Laden, began assisting the mujahideen in the 1980s. Bin Laden became increasingly involved in the war over the course of the decade, raising funds and recruiting additional fighters. His involvement in the war led him, along with an Egyptian physician named Ayman al-Zawahiri, to create the radical Islamist organization al-Qaeda (“the Base” in Arabic) as a means to organize and finance the Afghan resistance. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 257 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

The “Islam strategy” would eventually lead to America’s financial support of Osama bin Laden’s mujahideen in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union—the same ones who later planned the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York City. When it benefited US interests, the United States sent military aid to the mujahideen and Osama bin Laden, calling them “freedom fighters” against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. But as soon as they were no longer useful to the United States, that is, after the fall of the Soviet Union, the same group of mujahideen—Al-Qaeda—was designated a terrorist group. — Sahar F. Aziz, The Racial Muslim, 648 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

As it had done in other proxy wars with the Soviet Union, the United States provided nearly $3 billion in arms and funding to non-state fighters in Afghanistan, self-described as Islamic mujahideen. But when the Soviet Union pulled out of Afghanistan and collapsed soon thereafter, the global threat was no longer Communism. Islam now became the menace impeding American global hegemony. And Al-Qaeda and the mujahideen went from being freedom fighters to terrorists. — Sahar F. Aziz, The Racial Muslim, 687 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The US trained the mujahideen from which al-Qaeda later emerged — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 396; The jihadist hard line was manufactured through US-Saudi cold war sponsorship — Rob Nixon, Slow Violence and the Environmentalism…, 276; US support for the mujahideen inadvertently seeded the creation of al-Qaeda — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 257 (+13 more)

Broader Connections

• US support for the mujahideen inadvertently seeded the creation of al-Qaeda #corroborates (0.98) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 257
• The US supplied billions to mujahideen who later became its top enemies #corroborates (0.93) — Sahar F. Aziz, The Racial Muslim, 687
• US aid created the mujahideen it later designated terrorists. #corroborates (0.93) — Sahar F. Aziz, The Racial Muslim, 648
• U.S.-funded mujahedeen proxy wars helped fuel Al Qaeda’s rise #corroborates (0.92)
• US Cold War aid armed the extremist groups that later became the Taliban #complicates (0.75) — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 46
• U.S. Cold War arming of extremists enabled the Taliban’s rise #complicates (0.74)
• US Cold War arms policy directly aided the rise of the Taliban #complicates (0.73) — , Selod, Saher - Forever Suspect_…, 46
• US Cold War policy armed the very Taliban it later blamed #complicates (0.72) — Saher Selod, Forever Suspect_ Racialized…, 37