Where Al Qaeda Began: 48 Photos From The Soviet-Afghan War

All That's Interesting ^ | Apr 2017 | Mark Oliver

[CondoleezzaProtege]

The Soviet-Afghan War changed the world.

This nine-year power struggle in a small, landlocked country ultimately led to some of the most profound moments in modern history. This one conflict sparked the collapse of the Soviet Union, the rise of Osama bin Laden, the age of jihadist terrorism, and the birth of the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

In time, the ripples of the Soviet-Afghan War brought the Twin Towers to the ground, brought American troops to the Middle East, and created a new era of wars and terrorism that plague the world today...

[CondoleezzaProtege]

Despite Western Society’s skewed perception, terrorism did not even originate in the Middle East. The word ‘Terrorism” originates from the reign of the post-French Revolution reign of the Jacobins; the Jacobins would guillotine their opposition in order to maintain their control over French Society (1793-1794). Today’s definition of “Terrorism” originated from the actions of Russian Anarchist Revolutionaries. During the late 1800s, the People’s Will tried to assert a ‘blow to the center’ of the Russian Tsar regime by assassinating Tsar Alexander II. Beyond assassinations and attacks, the People’s Will gained attention and support through an intensive propaganda machine. The People’s Will embraced a culture of self-sacrifice and emphasized that group members willing to die for the cause were martyrs and heroes. Since the late 1800s, terrorist groups have used the methods, targets, propaganda, and ideological framework of the early Russian revolutionaries. The primary and secondary sources below provide greater insight into the impact of Early Russian Terrorism. These sources demonstrate that ‘terrorism’ was not created by the Quran, but rather adopted by weak groups trying to damage stronger powers. In addition these sources assert that the techniques seen today- by groups like Al Qaeda-originated in Russia."

On December 24 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. The Soviet Union’s actions in Afghanistan demonstrated that they wanted to transform Afghanistan into a Communist State and exploit Afghanistan for their resources. The USSR tore through Afghanistan destroying infrastructure, killing civilians, and instituting Soviet policies. The Soviet aggression caused the United States to create a covert action program that was designed to radicalize the Mujahideen Muslims against the Soviets. When the Soviets finally pulled out in February 1989, Afghanistan was socially, economically, and physically decimated. The weakness of the Afghan government allowed extremists and terrorists to enter the country and gain power. The Soviet imperialism provided terrorist groups like Al Qaeda with an inspiration and impetus for their actions against ‘colonial tyrants.’ The invasion left a lasting impression on the infrastructure of Afghanistan and paved the way for the proliferation of Radical Islamic Terrorist Groups.

- Kerrin Sperry, Boston University

[Freedomlibertyjustice]

Both authors (Oliver and Sperry) are wrong. The Soviet-Afghan war did not “create a new era of wars and terrorism...” The modern era of war and terrorism started in 1979 when Islamic militants stormed the US embassy in Iran and Carter folded. This was followed by hijackings and bombings by Muslim terrorists around the globe.

The etymology of the word “terrorism” notwithstanding, jihadists made a spectacle of lopping off the heads of bound captives centuries before the French Revolution.

Jihadists have been at war with everyone else since the 8th century. Neither the Russians, French, or Americans are to blame for that.

[Gen.Blather]

The photo show locked up my computer twice. I finally had to restart it. It’s still acting wonky.

[Paladin2]

There's a juxtaposition...

[DesertRhino]

That sure blew up in our faces. Hard to believe Osama was actually paid and supported by the CIA. Another of their “success” stories.

[CondoleezzaProtege]

Atheist communism claimed more lives in the 20th Century alone than all the religious crusades of past centuries combined. Up to 90 million dead some estimate, 20 million just in Russia.

And while people moan and complain about the British Empire, not enough responsibility is laid on the Soviet Union for its role in sabotaging Israel and shaping the dynamics of the modern Middle East. The KGB capitalized on pre-existing hostilities and activated jihadist tendencies. Directly, financially, morally. Figures like Arafat and Abbas and several other figures who pioneered techniques like hijacking — received their training in Moscow.

Not saying that the U.S./CIA are saints.

[Freedomlibertyjustice]

Condoleezza: I agree with you, especially your skepticism about the CIA.

Rhino/Paladin: while I’m no fan of the CIA, Reagan’s efforts supporting the Afghans against the Soviets was one of the main reasons we won the Cold War. WW3 was avoided. And the attacks on 9/11 were carried out with box cutters, not Stingers.

[Paladin2]

OBL was not Afghani...

[Freedomlibertyjustice]

I’m aware of the fact that OBL was not Afghani. What’s your point?

[McGruff]

The hijackers in the September 11 attacks were 19 men affiliated with al-Qaeda. 15 of the 19 were citizens of Saudi Arabia, and the others were from the United Arab Emirates (2), Egypt, and Lebanon

[Freedomlibertyjustice]

Unlike The Stingers Obama provided known terrorists in Libya, those Reagan supplied to those opposing the Soviets were not used against us. Obama’s were shipped from Libya to Afghanistan and used against our troops.

The Commies were our primary enemy at the time Reagan intervened in Afghanistan (paying them back for their support of our enemies in Korea and Vietnam) and the strategy worked.

[MAGAthon]

no doubt Mika & Joe will be devoting the week of 9/11 to discussing Mika’s Dad:

University of Arizona: (Zbigniew) Brzezinski Interview with Le Nouvel Observateur (1998)
Translated from the French by William Blum and David N. Gibbs. This translation was published in Gibbs, “Afghanistan: The Soviet Invasion in Retrospect,” International Politics 37, no. 2, 2000, pp. 241-242. For article full text, click here.
Original French version appeared in “Les Révélations d’un Ancien Conseilleur de Carter: ‘Oui, la CIA est Entrée en Afghanistan avant les Russes...’” Le Nouvel Observateur [Paris], January 15-21, 1998, p. 76. Click here for original French text.
(EXCERPT)
Q: And neither do you regret having supported Islamic fundamentalism, which has given arms and advice to future terrorists?

Brzezinski: What is more important in world history? The Taliban or the collapse of the Soviet empire? Some agitated Moslems or the liberation of Central Europe and the end of the cold war?

Q : “Some agitated Moslems”? But it has been said and repeated: Islamic fundamentalism represents a world menace today...

Brzezinski: Nonsense! It is said that the West has a global policy in regard to Islam. That is stupid: There isn’t a global Islam. Look at Islam in a rational manner, without demagoguery or emotionalism. It is the leading religion of the world with 1.5 billion followers. But what is there in common among fundamentalist Saudi Arabia, moderate Morocco, militarist Pakistan, pro-Western Egypt, or secularist Central Asia? Nothing more than what unites the Christian countries...
https://dgibbs.faculty.arizona.edu/brzezinski_interview

[CondoleezzaProtege]

The photo show locked up my computer twice. I finally had to restart it. It’s still acting wonky

It did that on mine too, but it works when I use Google Chrome as my browser.

[Wyrd bið ful aræd]

During the early phase of the current Afghan war when special ops troops were being brought in from staging areas on Uzbekistan, the Night Stalkers flew higher than any Blackhawk variant ever had or was designed to, with several near tragedies, out of concern that Stingers provided for use against the Soviets would be used against us.

I don't know if any Stingers were recovered or not. Hard to imagine that none were left over or some Afghan warlord hadn't kept a reserve stashed away.

[Monterrosa-24]

Afghanistan should never be referred to as a small country. It is huge. Even El Salvador, which is slightly larger than Massachusetts, offered guerrilla forces vast territory to hide and long international borders to retreat across. Afghanistan is about the size of Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia combined.

[CondoleezzaProtege]

Maybe by small the writer meant population? Landwise I have the impression of it being vast and mountainous. Sad that a place so beautiful has had to endure all this. :(

[Paal Gulli]

"...The modern era of war and terrorism started in 1979 when Islamic militants stormed the US embassy in Iran and Carter folded. This was followed by hijackings and bombings by Muslim terrorists around the globe....

You are exactly right. The Beiruit barracks bombing, the attack on the USS Cole, the WTC bombing and 9/11 all trace back to Carter's failures. He showed weakness to people who were spoiling for a fight and only needed an adversary. And on 12.24.1978 he signed an Executive Order that decimated all US-run Human Intelligence activities.

Peanut-Brain, like Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson before him, believed that 'gentlemen should not open other gentlemen's mail.' Both believed that human spying was a base and deplorable activity. And Carter believed that since we could learn everything that could be learned from spy satellites, human spies were completely unnecessary. So Carter issued EO12036, which gutted all US HUMINT.

By December of 1979, HUMINT assets were so thinned in Iran that after the seizure of the US Embassy in Tehran, there were exactly this many US intelligence operatives still living and at large in Iran: zero. Any and all that had managed to survive the "revolution" were among the Americans being held hostage.

And it was the same throughout the much of the Middle East. Owing to the clannishness/xenophobia [pick one] of the Arabs, it would take decades to rebuild the infrastructure from scratch that Carter had demolished, leaving us largely blind in the region for the next decade and with still diminished capacities for most of the next. Which explains (in part) how we managed to get so far behind the intelligence power curve on Muslim terrorism.