Didn't the Americans train Osama Bin Laden?

Question

Who gave Osama the tactics and weapons in the first place? In the news I heard it was the Americans that trained him.

Answer 1

No. We did not train him. That is a myth. We helped train the Afghan mujahadeen. We didn't need the Afghan Arabs. There were plenty of native Afghans willing to fight. And none of our money went straight through to the fighters anyway. We funneled our support through Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence agency.

Al Qaeda's number two leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, confirmed that the "Afghan Arabs" did not receive any U.S. funding during the war in Afghanistan. In the book that was described as his last will, Knights Under the Prophet's Banner, which was serialized in December 2001 in Al-Sharq al-Awsat, al-Zawahiri says the Afghan Arabs were funded with money from Arab sources, which amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars.

Here's what Zawahiri himself said:
""The Arab mujahidin did not confine themselves to financing their own jihad but also carried Muslim donations to the Afghan mujahidin themselves. Usama Bin Ladin has apprised me of the size of the popular Arab support for the Afghan mujahidin that amounted, according to his sources, to $200 million in the form of military aid alone in 10 years. Imagine how much aid was sent by popular Arab organizations in the non-military fields such as medicine and health, education and vocational training, food, and social assistance ...."

"Through the unofficial popular support, the Arab mujahidin established training centers and centers for the call to the faith. They formed fronts that trained and equipped thousands of Arab mujahidin and provided them with living expenses, housing, travel and organization."

Don't believe the uninformed nonsense you read in some of these answers. Most of them are simply repeating something they themselves heard. While it does make a great story, that we "created" bin Laden, it simply is not true.

Answer 2

We didn't train anyone. Get it straight everyone. The Pakistani ISI did the training and support to the Afghan and Arab muj fighting the Soviets. CIA helped with some finances and material support, much like the rest of the non-Communist world. (i.e. Britain, France, Italy, Germany, etc., etc.

Most of the idiots on here have no idea what they are talking about. The Bin Laden family and Bush family working in the oil industry??? Neither family was in oil. The Bin Laden Group was a conglomerate of huge construction companies. A CIA asset??? We know where he is, we just want to keep him out there to frighten America??? He was never a CIA asset and I would love to hear what some of these retards define as a CIA asset. We do know where he is, in Pakistan, but our military cannot operate in Pakistan. Using him to frighten America is another bullshit conspiracy theory were the crazed government has a secret agenda. We aided the Taliban against Iraq??? Where do you guys get this crap? Go put your tin-foil helmet back on and keep drinking your Jesus juice.

Usama wasn't a muj anyway. You people really need to get a grip and do some research. He mainly financed and supported muj groups and individuals. He wasn't known for his excellent soldiering skills. He was always behind the scenes in much the same way as he operates now...as a coward and blowhard, an evil bastard perverting religion for political gain and convincing young men to kill themselves instead of standing up and fighting himself. A true mujahideen and extremely successful and brave fighter was Ahmad Shah Messoud, the former Northern Alliance leader who was assassinated a week prior to 9/11 by al-Qa'ida.

There are several books which give true accounts as to what was going on during the time and I would suggest Steve Coll's, "Ghost Wars" as one of them. or check out these websites:

http://www.cia.gov/terrorism/faqs.html

http://usinfo.state.gov/media/archive/20

Answer 3

Peter Bergen, a CNN journalist and adjunct professor who is known for conducting the first television interview with Osama Bin Laden in 1997, refuted Cook's notion, stating on August 15, 2006, the following:

The story about bin Laden and the CIA -- that the CIA funded bin Laden or trained bin Laden -- is simply a folk myth. There's no evidence of this. In fact, there are very few things that bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and the U.S. government agree on. They all agree that they didn't have a relationship in the 1980s. And they wouldn't have needed to. Bin Laden had his own money, he was anti-American and he was operating secretly and independently.
The real story here is the CIA didn't really have a clue about who this guy was until 1996 when they set up a unit to really start tracking him

Answer 4

Yes, very true the Americans (C.I.A.) has trained Osama Bin Laden. It is Amercia who gave Osma the tactics and weapons in the first place and still he is working for Amercians (C.I.A.,) and more particularly, for BUSH

Answer 5

They actually created him to begin with. A faith-based presidency like Mr. Bush's, needs the Bin Ladens of this world to justify its existence. While the American Ideals keeps getting eroded till America becomes the opposite image of what America always stood against. Sad but it is happening right now.

Answer 6

Yes, the CIA worked and trained him and others for like ten years in Afganistan! I saw in National Geographic that the poppy seed industry in Afganistan has increased by over 300% since the U.S. and Allies invaded. That article was like two years ago or something, it's probably more by now. That's what they make heroin from. Afganistan is the worlds largest supplier of heroin, about 80% of the worlds supply! The CIA has been involved in the heroin industry for decades that is obvious! Hmm does our government and industry leaders really give a flying f about us? I highly (and not on heroin) doubt it!

Answer 7

Im not entirely sure if they trained him but I know for a fact that Bush Sr. gave Saddam the weapons he has or had in his country... so I wouldn't put anything pass that they didnt' train him... knowing the states they probally did just because its comin to kick them in the butts like everything else they do does.

Answer 8

Osama was, and probably still is, a CIA asset. As long as he is alove he is an object of fear for the American people, and the fear rallies them behind anything bush tells them. It's his mind control weapon. They'll only 'catch' Osama if and when he is of no more use to this US administration.

Answer 9

The Bush and Bin Laden family used to be associates in the oil business not very long ago.

Answer 10

America's sole concern was to avenge their licking defeat in Vietnam,they would have even bribed the Satan,had he been on CIA's payroll,and Usama delivered to them what they dreamed for,a battered erstwhile,once invincible USSR.