Part 4: The Complex History of Islamic Extremism and Russia's Contribution to the Rise of Al Qaeda and ISIS

Osama bin Laden joins the fight against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan with Wikileaks revealing his connection to the U.S. was almost non-existent. The U.S. tries to rescue its hostages in Iran.

Mujahideen fighters relax in the mountains of Afghanistan

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This is part four of a multi-report series that explains the rise of modern Islamic extremism. From 1951 to 2021, a series of key geopolitical events, many independent of each other, caused the Islamic Revolution, the rise of Al Qaeda and ISIS, the creation and collapse of the caliphate, and the reconstitution of ISIS as the ISKP. While Western influence and diplomatic blunders are well-documented throughout this period, the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation are equally culpable. The editors would like to note that a vast majority of the 1.8 billion people who are adherents to some form of Islam are peaceful and reject all forms of religious violence.

Did you miss part three? You can catch up on the series by reading the third installment.

Osama bin Laden Travels to Pakistan to Fight the Soviets

Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was born on March 10, 1957. Raised in wealth and privilege as a member of the bin Laden family in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, parts of his formative years are cloudy. His father divorced his mother shortly after he was born. He was raised as a devout Sunni Muslim. When bin Laden’s father died, he inherited a small part of the family fortune, receiving an estimated $25 million ($124 million when adjusted for inflation).

Bin Laden attended Oxford University in England in 1971. It is unclear if he ever earned a degree, and if he did, what it was in and from which university. He also attended King Abdulaziz University and, over a period of five to six years—ending in 1979—focused his studies on economics, business, and, in a non-academic setting, religion. When bin Laden left college, he traveled to Pakistan to support the Afghan rebels fighting against the Amin regime and eventually Soviet troops.

Declassified documents and multiple intelligence leaks, including from Julian Assange, revealed there was no clear evidence or documentation that bin Laden was directly trained or had direct contact with the CIA or the U.S. military. Islamabad insisted that U.S. funding, training, and equipping of the mujahideen be channeled through Pakistan.

It is clear that bin Laden served as an operative for Saudi Arabian and Pakistani intelligence and operated as a go-between for the U.S. It is also clear that bin Laden, whether by proxy or directly, was trained and equipped by the U.S., along with thousands of others. What has been lost to history is whether bin Laden traveled to Pakistan for his own interests or as an agent of the Saudi General Intelligence Presidency (GIP).

Although the Soviets had installed Babrak Karmal as their puppet leader in Afghanistan, there wasn’t unity within the Kremlin on how to proceed. Some intelligence officers and military leaders warned that bringing the remote and mountainous country under full Soviet control would take years, not months. The release of declassified records after the collapse of the Soviet Union revealed that there were individuals who had the foresight to see that Moscow was being drawn into a perilous, protracted war.

A destroyed U.S. Air Force EC-130E aircraft and an abandoned U.S. Navy RH-53 Sea Stallion Helicopter in western Iran after Operation Eagle Claw failed in April 1980

President Carter Approves Operation Eagle Claw to Rescue U.S. Hostages in Iran

It was now the spring of 1980. In Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini was tightening his grip. An April 24 attempt by the U.S. to rescue 52 diplomats being held hostage by Iranian students at the U.S. embassy in Tehran would end in catastrophe.

Operation Eagle Claw started to fall apart almost as soon as it began. Three of the eight helicopters experienced mechanical issues en route to a desert rendezvous point. The mission plan called for an automatic abort if fewer than six operational helicopters reached the landing site. Military leaders advised President Jimmy Carter to abort the mission, which he did. A sandstorm started during the operation, and while withdrawing, a Navy RH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter crashed into an EC-130E cargo aircraft, destroying both. Eight members of the U.S. Air Force and three Marines were killed.

The political fallout in Washington was swift. U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance resigned due to the operation, which he believed would further endanger the hostages. The hostage crisis, coupled with the failed rescue attempt, further dragged down Carter’s reelection campaign, which he would lose to Republican Ronald Reagan in November 1980.

Ayatollah Khomeini used the exposed military operation to strengthen his grip on Iran, telling his followers that God had defeated the U.S.. “Who crushed Mr. Carter's helicopters? We did! The sands did! They were God's agents. Wind is God's agent! These sands are agents of God!”

And Khomeini didn’t limit his jingoism to the U.S. and its allies. He started to antagonize his equally ambitious and more secular neighbors in Iraq. Baghdad was also watching the Iranian Revolution and had two growing concerns. First, the spread of fundamentalist Islamic beliefs was viewed as a threat to state security. Second, Khomeini had just inherited one of the most powerful conventional militaries on the planet and had the means to execute his threats. Something would have to be done.

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Coming Up Next, Part 5: A world away from Afghanistan, Saddam Hussein rose to power in Iraq. Threats from Ayatollah Khomeini sparked fear in Baghdad, with Hussein deciding to strike first, sparking the eight-year Iran-Iraq War.