Originally posted by David9176
reply to post by OpTiMuS_PrImE

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When Newt Gingrich is throwing his support behind Obama....even though the General was asking for 40,000 to 120,000 troops and gave him 30,000, then you should now SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT.

First Afghanistan conflict

The 1978 Soviet Union invasion of Afghanistan motivated bin Laden to support the defending mujahideen (freedom fighters). He initially visited Pakistan to meet with high officials, refugees, and citizens, to recruit freedom fighters.

After getting an eyeful of what the Soviets were up to, bin Laden returned to the Saudi kingdom to consult many of his brothers, friends and other relatives.

In 1982, bin Laden decided to enter Afghanistan with a hefty bankroll to support the mujahideen. While in Afghanistan, he established close ties with mujahideen leader, Sheikh Abdullah Azzam.

Afghanistan training camps

By 1984, bin Laden had initiated a staging area for strengthening his presence in Afghanistan. At the doorstep to the Afghan war, in Peshawar, Pakistan, bin Laden's staging area (also known as the Guest House) functioned as the first station for newly minted mujahedeen, before going to the front.

In 1986, bin Laden arranged to establish his own presence inside Afghanistan, and by 1988, he had erected more than six intensive-training camps. Some were mobilized more than once. That year, Osama decided to direct his own battles with his own command — eventually breaking ties with Sheikh Abdullah Azzam. He formed his own army, al Qaeda, (meaning "the base" in Arabic).

President Ronald Reagan signed a covert release of funds, high-end armaments, and CIA specialists to aid bin Laden, Azzam and the mujahideen. That American assistance helped to force the Soviets out of Afghanistan by 1989.

Banned by Saudi Arabia

At the end of 1989, just as the Soviet Union was finishing its withdrawal from Afghanistan, bin Laden returned home in anticipation of a warm welcome. Instead, he was issued a travel ban. He was not allowed to leave Saudi Arabia, owing to numerous inflammatory speeches he had given prior to his return, that advocated uprisings.

bin Laden was actually planning a new jihad in South Yemen. Further, his speeches and lectures had predicted the eventual invasion of Yemen by Saddam Hussein's forces. The Saudi regime disapproved of his stance because of close ties with Iraq.

On August 2, 1990, Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait, and shortly thereafter, American and coalition forces began to arrive in Kuwait's defense. Operation Desert Storm was now underway, which changed bin Laden's tone completely. He now planned to take the initiative against the U.S.

By lobbying religious scholars and Muslim activists, bin Laden succeeded in extracting a fatwah (declaration) from one of the senior scholars, that military training and readiness was a religious duty. He immediately circulated that fatwah and convinced potential fighters that they should get their training in Afghanistan.

It has been estimated that 4,000 men traveled to the Afghanistan training camps in response to the fatwah. The Saudi regime was not happy with bin Laden's activities, so they confined his movements to Jeddah only. That did little to restrain him; bin Laden left his homeland for good, and eventually headed back to war-torn Afghanistan.

Back to Afghanistan

Before heading for Afghanistan, bin Laden arrived in Pakistan to meet with various "business associates" for supporting his new terror regime. He knew, however, that if he were to stay in Pakistan too long, authorities would nab him and deport him to the kingdom that he now despised.

Osama soon realized that by remaining in Pakistan, he was putting himself in extreme jeopardy. So, with his mission for terror still in his sights, he headed directly for his camps in Afghanistan.

During bin Laden's stay in Afghanistan, as well as his short time in Pakistan, the Saudis tried more than once to kidnap or assassinate him, in collaboration with Pakistani intelligence. Fortunately for bin Laden, his close ties with higher officials in both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia provided up-to-date intelligence, which would give him enough time to escape.

In 1991, after becoming tired of hiding, bin Laden decided to leave Afghanistan and head for the only alternative country available to him: Sudan.