In 1979, bin Laden joined many other young Muslims in fighting against the Soviet Union's Afghanistan invasion. The rebels of the Islamic Alliance of Afghan Mujahideen were supported by the U.S. government, then led by President Ronald Reagan. Although it is not entirely clear, bin Laden probably went to Afghanistan and then returned to Saudi Arabia to raise money for the mujahideen, or "freedom fighters." In Pakistan, across the border from Afghanistan, he used his expertise in construction to manage logistics for what was becoming a jihad, or holy war. By the mid-1980s, he was working inside Afghanistan, building roads and hideouts. He also established a base and training camp for the mujahideen.
