To gain a greater understanding of the Al-Qaeda organization as it is known today it is important to take the time to look back of its past and understand how and why it was created. The war between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union that lasted from December 1979 – February 1989 is when Al-Qaeda makes its name as a terrorist organization as well as a growing information network. The Soviet–Afghan War stated in a similar fashion to the US was in Vietnam and is sometimes mentioned as the Soviet Vietnam. The USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) along with many other world powers, to include the United States and The United Kingdom, had been making attempts to secure a foothold in the middle-east. The USSR had long been involved with the
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The forces at this time were called mujahideen (This is a term for fighters that are engaged in a jihad) they used standard guerrilla style tactics to fight back ageist the Soviets that controlled the major cities but not the countryside. The USSR responded but pouring more of their resources into Afghanistan. This proved to be an uphill battle for the USSR because the mujahideen was being heavily supported by other great powers with weapons, raining, and funding to fight the Soviet Union. Some key leadership during the emergence of the Al-Qaeda organization were Osama bin Laden (killed 2011) and the "Blind Sheikh" Omar Abdel-Rahman who was leading recruiter in the New York area and is currently held in a US prison. The mujahideen was made up from native Afghans as well as Islamic militants and brought together a number of different groups that would not normally been seen working together; groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, Maktab al-Khidamat, and the US Central Intelligence Agency. They are successful in out lasting the Soviet Union that is overwhelmed with other domestic and foreign problems that is must deal with. Many mujahideen members see this as a huge victory and are not satisfied with stopping here and want to continue the jihad in other
The forces at this time were called mujahideen (This is a term for fighters that are engaged in a jihad) they used standard guerrilla style tactics to fight back ageist the Soviets that controlled the major cities but not the countryside. The USSR responded but pouring more of their resources into Afghanistan. This proved to be an uphill battle for the USSR because the mujahideen was being heavily supported by other great powers with weapons, raining, and funding to fight the Soviet Union. Some key leadership during the emergence of the Al-Qaeda organization were Osama bin Laden (killed 2011) and the "Blind Sheikh" Omar Abdel-Rahman who was leading recruiter in the New York area and is currently held in a US prison. The mujahideen was made up from native Afghans as well as Islamic militants and brought together a number of different groups that would not normally been seen working together; groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, Maktab al-Khidamat, and the US Central Intelligence Agency. They are successful in out lasting the Soviet Union that is overwhelmed with other domestic and foreign problems that is must deal with. Many mujahideen members see this as a huge victory and are not satisfied with stopping here and want to continue the jihad in other