| The origins of Al-Qaeda can be traced to the | | | | his mujahedeen to King Fahd to protect Saudi |
| Soviet War in Afghanistan. The United States | | | | Arabia. However, King Fahd chose instead the |
| viewed the Soviet support of the Afghan | | | | offer of US support and allowed them to deploy |
| Marxists against the Afghan mujahedeen as a sign | | | | forces on Saudi territory. The deployment |
| of Soviet aggression and expansionist policy. The | | | | angered Bin Laden, as he believed the presence |
| CIA launched Operation Cyclone, channelling funds | | | | of foreign troops near the sacred sites of Mecca |
| through Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence | | | | and Medina profaned sacred soil. After speaking |
| agency to the mujahedeen. A large number of | | | | publicly, he was denounced by the Saudi |
| Arab mujahedeen had joined the jihad against the | | | | government and was forced to go into exile in |
| Afghan Marxists, this was facilitated by | | | | Sudan. From 1992 to 1994, Al-Qaeda were based |
| organisations such as the Maktab-al-Khidamat, | | | | in Sudan, arriving at the invitation of the Islamist |
| who were funded by wealthy Saudis who were | | | | theoretician Hassan al Turabi following an Islamist |
| approached by Osama Bin Laden. Al-Qaeda | | | | coup. Bin Laden assisted the Sudanese |
| evolved from the Maktab-al-Khidamat organisation. | | | | government, purchased and created various |
| The Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan in | | | | business enterprises and established Al-Qaeda |
| 1989, however Mohammed Najibullah’s | | | | training camps. |
| communist Afghan government remained in | | | | After the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, a |
| power for a further three years before been | | | | new force began to emerge named the Taliban. |
| overrun by mujahedeen. Mujahedeen leaders | | | | The Taliban was constituted of children of the |
| struggled to agree on a method of administration. | | | | war, many who were orphans and many who |
| Alliances were in constant flux and fighting for | | | | had been educated in the rapidly expanding |
| territory left the country devastated. Some | | | | network of Islamic schools called madrassas. The |
| mujahedeen decided to extend their struggle to | | | | infighting and lawlessness that dogged Afghanistan |
| other parts of the world, a number of | | | | gave the well disciplined and well organised Taliban |
| organisations were created to deal with these | | | | the opportunity to gradually expand their control, |
| aspirations. One of these organisations was | | | | eventually capturing the capital Kabul in |
| Al-Qaeda which was formed by Osama Bin Laden. | | | | September 1996. At the same time, the |
| The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 threatened | | | | Sudanese authorities were forcing Bin Laden and |
| Saudi Arabia, as some of its most valuable | | | | Al-Qaeda to leave Sudan, the Taliban invited them |
| oil-fields were dangerously close to Iraqi forces. In | | | | into Afghanistan. In 1996, Al-Qaeda announced a |
| addition, there were fears that Saddam | | | | jihad to expel foreign troops from what they felt |
| Hussein’s call to pan Arab/Islamism might rally | | | | were Islamic lands. |
| internal dissent. Bin Laden offered the services of | | | | |