How The CIA Funded a Terrorist Organization

Summary

The script outlines the events surrounding the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, the rise of the Mujahideen, and the role of U.S. covert operations through Operation Cyclone. It details how Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence influenced the distribution of U.S. aid, favoring extremist forces. Despite early warnings, the U.S. overlooked the spread of radicalism, which eventually contributed to the rise of the Taliban. The script highlights the long-term geopolitical consequences of the conflict, culminating in the assassination of moderate leader Ahmad Shah Massoud just before 9/11.

Takeaways

• 🌍 In 1979, Afghanistan saw the rise of a communist government under Nur Muhammad Taraki, followed by brutal oppression and mass executions, which sparked the Afghan Mujahideen insurgency.
• 🔄 Taraki was replaced by Hafizullah Amin in April, but Amin's harsh security measures and disappearances worsened the rebellion, making him unpopular, and leading the Soviet Union to suspect CIA involvement.
• 🪖 On December 25th, 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to remove Amin and establish a stable communist government, but this conflict would stretch into a decade-long war.
• 🇺🇸 The U.S., caught off-guard by the Soviet invasion, initially provided minimal aid to the Mujahideen, but after the invasion, Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson began pushing for greater military support.
• 🤝 Operation Cyclone was initiated to covertly support the Mujahideen through Pakistan, allowing Pakistan’s ISI to control the distribution of American aid, favoring more fundamentalist forces.
• ⚠️ U.S. oversight over the aid was minimal, leading to the rise of radical Islamic fundamentalism in refugee camps, with figures like Osama Bin Laden gaining influence.
• 🪖 American aid was supplemented by support from the British, Saudis, and even China, but moderate forces like Ahmad Shah Massoud were increasingly marginalized by extremists.
• 💣 The introduction of American Stinger missiles in 1985 severely weakened the Soviet air force, marking a turning point in the conflict and aiding the Mujahideen's success.
• 🔜 After the Soviets withdrew in 1989, the U.S. showed little interest in shaping post-war Afghanistan, allowing extremist forces to take over, eventually leading to the rise of the Taliban.
• 📅 On September 9th, 2001, Ahmad Shah Massoud, the moderate leader, was assassinated by the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, just days before the 9/11 attacks.

Q & A

What led to the rise of the Afghan Mujahideen against the Taraki government?

The Taraki government, which had seized power in 1978, turned brutally oppressive with mass executions and extrajudicial arrests, sparking a widespread insurgency known as the Afghan Mujahideen.

Why did the Soviet Union invade Afghanistan in 1979?

The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to remove the unpopular Hafizullah Amin from power and to establish a legitimate communist government, fearing that Amin might be a CIA plant trying to collapse the Afghan communist regime.

What was the initial reaction of the United States to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan?

The United States was initially caught off guard by the Soviet invasion due to its intelligence focus on Central and South America. Before the invasion, the U.S. had only provided limited medical and non-lethal aid to the Mujahideen.

How did Congressman Charlie Wilson contribute to U.S. involvement in Afghanistan?

Charlie Wilson was shocked by the Soviet bombing of Afghan civilians and decided to push for U.S. military support for the Mujahideen. He helped form a Washington coalition that led to Operation Cyclone, which provided military aid to the rebels.

What role did Pakistan play in U.S. aid to the Afghan Mujahideen?

Due to its strategic location, Pakistan was granted control over the dissemination of U.S. aid to the Mujahideen. Pakistan's ISI became responsible for managing the influx of weapons and funding, which strengthened its position in the country.

What were the long-term consequences of Pakistan’s involvement in the distribution of U.S. aid?

Pakistan favored more fundamentalist forces within the Mujahideen, which led to the rise of extremist groups. This, along with the indoctrination of Afghan refugees by hardline clerics, contributed to the growth of radical Islam in the region.

How did the United States inadvertently contribute to the rise of Osama Bin Laden?

The U.S. ignored warnings about Bin Laden’s growing influence in Afghan refugee camps, where he and other clerics preached radical Islam. The U.S. also facilitated global recruitment of fighters, indirectly bolstering Bin Laden’s future terrorist activities.

How did the introduction of Stinger missiles impact the Soviet-Afghan war?

The U.S. supplied Stinger missiles to the Mujahideen, which significantly increased Soviet aircraft losses, particularly helicopters. This weakened the Soviet air force’s effectiveness and allowed the Mujahideen to gain the upper hand in the conflict.

What was the Reagan Doctrine, and how did it affect U.S. involvement in Afghanistan?

The Reagan Doctrine, announced in 1985, declared U.S. support for anti-Soviet resistance movements worldwide. This allowed for an increase in funding, weapons, and direct military aid to the Afghan Mujahideen, intensifying the conflict.

What were the long-term consequences of U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan after the Soviet retreat?

After the Soviets withdrew in 1989, the U.S. showed little interest in shaping Afghanistan's future, allowing Pakistan-backed extremist forces like the Taliban to take over most of the country, which eventually led to the rise of Al-Qaeda.

Outlines

00:00

🔴 Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan and Rise of the Mujahideen (1979)

In 1979, Afghanistan saw the brutal rule of Nur Muhammad Taraki's communist government, leading to an insurgency known as the Afghan Mujahideen. Despite ideological differences, the insurgents were united in their goal to overthrow the regime. Taraki was replaced by Hafizullah Amin, who only deepened the rebellion with oppressive policies. The Soviet Union, fearing Amin was a CIA plant, invaded Afghanistan on December 25, 1979, to establish a communist government. The United States, initially unprepared, was wary of escalating the conflict. Nonetheless, this invasion marked the beginning of a decade-long war, with the U.S. cautiously aiding the insurgents.

05:03

🇺🇸 America's Strategic Shift: Operation Cyclone

Initially, the U.S. had a limited role in Afghanistan, offering medical and non-lethal aid to the Mujahideen. However, as the Soviet occupation continued, U.S. interest in aiding the resistance grew. Charlie Wilson, a U.S. Congressman, became a key advocate for direct military support, leading to Operation Cyclone. The covert mission aimed to funnel American weapons to the Mujahideen, but Pakistan was given near-full control over the distribution of aid. This proved to be a double-edged sword as Pakistan favored fundamentalist factions. The Pakistani intelligence agency, ISI, grew in power as it handled the U.S. aid, laying the groundwork for future complications.

10:07

⚠️ Growing Fundamentalism and Oversight Failures

As the U.S. continued supporting the Mujahideen, fundamentalist elements grew stronger, with hardline clerics indoctrinating refugees in Pakistan. Figures like Osama Bin Laden emerged, and despite warnings, the U.S. failed to control Pakistan’s distribution of aid. The CIA even supported global recruitment efforts, bringing in foreign fighters to join the cause. The lack of oversight allowed radical Islam to spread, setting the stage for future conflicts. The war also saw support from Britain, Saudi Arabia, and China, with some groups like Ahmad Shah Massoud’s moderate forces receiving Western aid. However, moderates were being overshadowed by extremists.

Keywords

💡Mujahideen

The Mujahideen refers to the Afghan insurgent groups that rose in opposition to the communist government led first by Nur Muhammad Taraki and later by Hafizullah Amin. These groups were a mixture of fundamentalist and secular factions united in their desire to overthrow the oppressive regime. In the context of the video, the Mujahideen played a key role in resisting Soviet occupation after the 1979 invasion, with significant support from the United States through Operation Cyclone.

💡Operation Cyclone

Operation Cyclone was the CIA's covert program to arm and support the Afghan Mujahideen against the Soviet Union during their invasion of Afghanistan. Approved after the invasion in 1979, the program involved providing arms, training, and logistical support to the insurgents, funneling weapons through Pakistan. This operation is central to the narrative as it highlights U.S. involvement in exacerbating the Afghan conflict and indirectly empowering extremist factions.

💡Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan occurred in December 1979 when Soviet forces entered the country to remove Hafizullah Amin from power and install a more compliant communist government. The invasion is a critical event in the script, triggering the decade-long war that involved international players like the U.S., Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, leading to significant geopolitical consequences, including the rise of extremist movements.

💡Stinger Missiles

Stinger Missiles were U.S.-provided, shoulder-fired surface-to-air weapons given to the Mujahideen to counter Soviet air superiority, especially the deadly Hind attack helicopters. These missiles drastically changed the balance of power in the conflict, reducing Soviet air effectiveness. Their introduction marks a key turning point in the war, reflecting the growing direct involvement of the U.S. and the risks of advanced weaponry falling into the wrong hands.

💡Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)

Pakistan's ISI was responsible for distributing U.S. aid to the Mujahideen during the Soviet-Afghan war. With full control over American aid, the ISI favored more fundamentalist factions, thereby contributing to the rise of extremist groups. The ISI's role is critical in the video’s narrative as it reflects how Pakistan’s interests shaped the future of Afghanistan, often at odds with U.S. long-term goals.

💡Fundamentalism

Fundamentalism in this context refers to the radical religious ideology that was spread among young Afghan fighters, largely by foreign clerics, during the Soviet-Afghan War. The script highlights how U.S. and Pakistani support of these fundamentalist groups, in the fight against communism, inadvertently sowed the seeds for future extremist movements like the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. The rise of fundamentalism in the region is depicted as a long-term consequence of poorly managed foreign policy.

💡Charlie Wilson

Charlie Wilson was a U.S. Congressman who played a pivotal role in advocating for American military support for the Mujahideen. His efforts helped escalate U.S. involvement in the Soviet-Afghan War, turning it into a major front in the Cold War. His actions, as described in the video, reflect the personal and political motivations that drove U.S. foreign policy decisions during the conflict.

💡Reagan Doctrine

The Reagan Doctrine was a U.S. foreign policy strategy that supported anti-communist movements around the world. In Afghanistan, it marked the end of covert aid and openly increased U.S. support to the Mujahideen with advanced weaponry like the Stinger Missiles. This doctrine is a critical part of the video's theme, showing how Cold War politics influenced U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, ultimately leading to unintended consequences.

💡Ahmad Shah Massoud

Ahmad Shah Massoud was a key Afghan guerrilla commander and moderate leader who fought against both Soviet forces and later the Taliban. Though supported by the British and seen as a national hero, Massoud’s moderate stance was increasingly marginalized by the rise of fundamentalist factions. His assassination in 2001 by Al-Qaeda is a pivotal moment in the script, as it symbolizes the complete domination of extremist forces over moderate voices in Afghanistan.

💡Taliban

The Taliban is an extremist Islamist group that rose to power in Afghanistan after the Soviet withdrawal, with direct support from Pakistan. The script outlines how the Taliban took control of most of Afghanistan, enforcing strict religious rule. Their rise is linked to the long-term consequences of U.S. and Pakistani intervention during the Soviet-Afghan War, and their eventual role in harboring terrorists like Osama Bin Laden culminated in the September 11 attacks.

Highlights

In 1979, Afghanistan's communist government, led by Nur Muhammad Taraki, sparked insurgency due to brutal oppression and mass executions.

The Afghan Mujahideen, although ideologically divided, united with the common goal of overthrowing the Taraki regime.

Hafizullah Amin replaced Taraki in September 1979, but his harsh security tactics further fueled rebellion, leading to increased unrest.

Soviet suspicions of Amin being a CIA plant led to their decision to invade Afghanistan on December 25, 1979.

The Soviet invasion, initially expected to last only a few months, stretched into a decade-long conflict.

The United States was initially unprepared for the Soviet invasion, with limited intelligence and minor support for the Mujahideen.

Congressman Charlie Wilson, after witnessing Soviet brutality, spearheaded efforts to increase U.S. support for the Afghan Mujahideen.

Operation Cyclone was launched, funneling U.S. aid and weapons to the Mujahideen through Pakistan, but the U.S. lacked oversight.

Pakistan's ISI gained power by controlling U.S. aid distribution, favoring more fundamentalist Mujahideen factions.

Radical clerics, including Osama Bin Laden, indoctrinated young Afghans in refugee camps, leading to the rise of religious extremism.

The CIA ignored warnings of growing radicalism and facilitated global recruitment of fighters for the Afghan Mujahideen.

The U.S. and allies, including the British and Chinese, provided extensive aid to the Mujahideen, shifting the tide of the war.

The introduction of the Stinger missile in 1985 significantly weakened Soviet air power, marking a turning point in the conflict.

Despite concerns about rising fundamentalism, the U.S. continued to arm Mujahideen factions, leaving Pakistan to control aid distribution.

After the Soviet withdrawal in 1989, the U.S. showed little interest in shaping Afghanistan's future, leading to the rise of extremist groups like the Taliban.

Transcripts

1979- the world casts a wary eye towards Afghanistan.

The year prior Nur Muhammad Taraki had seized power and installed a communist government,

much to the Soviet Union's pleasure.

However, Taraki's government has turned brutally oppressive, with mass executions and extrajudicial

arrests.

The move sparks an insurgency, widely labeled as the Afghan Mujahideen.

While the name has a religious significance, the truth is the rebel forces are split along

ideological lines- with some practicing hardcore fundamentalism and others embracing secularism.

They are united however in their wish to overthrow the Taraki regime.

In April, Nur Muhammad Taraki is removed from power forcefully, and replaced by Hafizullah

Amin a few months later in September.

At first Amin tries to quell the growing rebellion with friendly overtures, but his security

forces disappear thousands of people behind the scenes.

The abuses only increase as time goes on, and the rebellion festers.

Amin is so unpopular that the Soviet Union begins to suspect he's a CIA plant, purposefully

placed in power in order to collapse the Afghan communist government.

On December 25th, 1979, the Soviet Union invades Afghanistan.

Its goal is simple: remove Amin from power and establish a legitimate, communist government.

Two days later, Soviet special forces locate and assassinate Haifuzllah Amin.

The war, if it can be called that, should be over in a matter of months.

It would last ten years.

The United States is initially caught off guard by the Soviet invasion.

Its intelligence efforts in the region have been to date an almost complete failure.

The CIA and other intelligence agencies have been largely focused on Central and South

America due to communism paranoia and the effort to keep the perceived threat out of

America's own backyard.

To date, the CIA has funneled half a million dollars worth of medical and non-lethal aid

to the mujahideen, but not supported the insurgency in any significant way.

Soviet fears of American intervention in Afghanistan are hilariously overblown- but that will soon

change.

Discussions about Soviet interventionism in Afghanistan have been taking place for months,

though nobody suspected a full-blown invasion was truly imminent.

America has a very real interest in making the Afghan situation difficult for the Soviets,

but differ on how important it truly is.

For some, Afghanistan is a chance to pay back the Soviet Union for its interference in Vietnam,

a war that cost the US dearly in manpower and capital.

Others fear that increasing aid to the mujahideen would only encourage the Soviets to more directly

intervene.

An April 5th memo by National Intelligence Officer Arnold Horelick lays out the stakes:

“Covert action would raise the costs to the Soviets and inflame Moslem opinion against

them in many countries.

The risk is that a substantial US covert aid program could raise the stakes and induce

the Soviets to intervene more directly and vigorously than otherwise intended.”

Preliminary meetings with mujahideen leadership have already been undertaken, but still the

US has played a cautious hand in Afghanistan.

The Soviet invasion changes all of that.

Texas Democrat Congressman Charlie Wilson watches the invasion taking place from a hot

tub in Las Vegas.

A playboy at heart, Wilson nonetheless is shocked at the brutality of Soviet bombing

of Afghan civilians, and vows to do something to help the Afghan people.

With the best of intentions, he sets out to build a Washington coalition with one purpose:

push for the direct military support of the mujahideen in Afghanistan.

Seeing an opportunity for payback and to force the Soviet Union to lose its focus in Africa,

the program to aid the mujahideen, now code-named Operation Cyclone, is approved.

At first Operation Cyclone aims to keep US involvement in the war within the realm of

plausible deniability.

To this effect, the program initially focuses on providing training and logistical support

to the mujahideen, as well as equipping them with Soviet-made weapons purchased by the

CIA covertly.

With Iran on one side though and the Soviets directly north, this leaves the US with only

Pakistan as a route into the country.

This is a difficult position for the US, as Pakistan's recent development of nuclear weapons

has put a severe strain between the two nations.

In order to improve relations, it’s decided that Pakistan would be granted near-full control

over the dissemination of American aid to the mujahideen.

Some within the CIA, State Department, and other agencies express concern over the decision,

as Pakistan clearly favors the more fundamentalist forces inside Afghanistan itself.

Their concerns are ignored, with inevitable disastrous future consequences.

In order to coordinate the influx of American funding, equipment, and weapons, Pakistan's

President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq turns to the Inter-services Intelligence agency, at the

time a Pakistani intelligence agency struggling for legitimacy.

The massive responsibility of coordinating millions of dollars in US aid however skyrockets

the agency's legitimacy, cementing it as an instrument of power in Pakistan for decades

to come.

This too would eventually be a mistake.

Massive refugee camps are set up along the Pakistan border, and the United States contributes

millions of dollars in humanitarian aid to these camps.

Sensing an opportunity however, hardline fundamentalist clerics from Saudi Arabia and other Muslim

nations converge on the camps, slowly indoctrinating tens of thousands of young Afghan men into

religious fundamentalism.

One of these Saudi holy men bears the name Osama Bin Laden, who's family owns a construction

firm worth millions of dollars and has close ties to the Saudi government.

Despite early warning signs that Bin Laden and others are preaching a dangerous fundamentalist

form of Islam to vulnerable young men who'll soon be armed to the teeth, the United States

ignores these warnings and continues on with almost no oversight of Pakistan's dissemination

of US aid.

Even worse, the US now directly helps spread the message of radical Islam, believing it

to be a valuable recruitment tool.

Right here in America, the CIA enlists Egyptian double agent Ali Abdul Saoud Mohamed and sends

him to recruit American Muslims to fight in Afghanistan, operating out of the Kifah Refugee

Center in Brooklyn.

Mohamed preaches a fiery message of holy war to impressionable youths, bolstering the ranks

of the mujahideen.

Around the world, the CIA encourages similar recruitment efforts, helping funnel tens of

thousands of volunteer fighters to Pakistan.

Mohamed would eventually make his way to Pakistan as well, where he would use his U.S. Army

training to instruct both Ayman al-Zawahiri, the founder of Egyptian Islamic Jihad, and

Osama Bin Laden.

Inside Afghanistan, the grinding war against the Soviet occupation continues on.

American aid is now supplemented by the British, Saudi Arabia, and even China- who's own relations

with the Soviet Union have seriously deteriorated.

The British, leading the second-greatest effort after the Americans, have thrown much of their

support behind Ahmad Shah Massoud.

Massoud is a brilliant guerrilla commander, instrumental in the defeat of several Soviet

offensives, and is a growing national hero to the Afghan people.

However, his fearsome militia is increasingly being infiltrated by hardline fundamentalists.

While Massoud himself is a moderate, he has no choice but to accept the troops available

to him.

The MI6 thus arm Massoud's militia with thousands of rifles, mines, explosives, radios, and

50 missile launchers with 300 missiles.

The British even use the SAS to train Massoud's militia directly.

One thing is becoming clear though- moderate voices within the Afghan resistance are becoming

increasingly scarce.

Pakistan and America may be allied in their wish to see the Soviets evicted from Afghanistan,

but their long-term vision for the nation differs greatly.

For one, America doesn't have one.

It's not even remotely invested in the long-term state of Afghanistan, even as it becomes increasingly

clear that the Soviet Union can't maintain this invasion forever.

This leaves the door wide open for Pakistan to shape the future Afghanistan as it sees

fit.

For starters, it views the nation as a vital buffer between itself and Iran.

It also needs a future Afghanistan that will not become a close US ally.

Pakistan fears that the United States, who does not look favorably on Pakistan after

its development of nuclear weapons, might use Afghanistan as a staging ground for its

own invasion in a bid to strip Pakistan of nuclear arms.

Thus it must make sure that the future Afghanistan is one hostile to US interests.

Luckily, the indoctrination of tens of thousands of Afghan youths and volunteer mujahideen

by extremist clerics provides the opportunity they need.

The ISI works busily to build strong relationships with the most fundamentalist of militias,

funneling American weapons and money to them directly while choking off moderate forces.

Pakistan is not particularly invested in the growing fundamentalist Islamic movement within

the mujahideen, but the movement proves to be a powerful binding force and the promise

of a strong future government for the nation- which will be greatly indebted to Pakistan

of course.

Even as warnings of rising fundamentalism continue to rise, they are ignored, and in

1985 President Ronald Reagan ends all pretenses by announcing America's global support of

anti-Soviet resistance movements.

Even as much as a few years ago this would have been impossible, and tantamount to a

declaration of war against the Soviet Union- but news back home in the USSR are not good.

The country is experiencing increasing political unrest, and the war in Afghanistan as well

as the Soviet's support for communist guerilla movements around the world are straining the

Soviet economy.

Reagan senses an opportunity to strike a definitive blow against the Soviet Union.

With the declaration of the Reagan Doctrine, the flow of weapons and money to the mujahideen

increases exponentially.

Free of the restraint of having to support the movement covertly, the CIA no longer has

to limit its efforts by purchasing Soviet-made weapons.

Reagan's proclamation allows the US to now arm the mujahideen with more modern, and far

more capable weapons.

For years the Soviet air force has wreaked havoc against the mujahideen.

Soviet Hind attack helicopters though have been particularly deadly opponents, hunting

down and annihilating mujahideen forces even in their traditional safe zones high up in

the mountains.

Starting in 1985, the US arms the mujahideen with the Stinger shoulder-fired surface-to-air

missile system, and almost immediately Soviet aircraft losses skyrocket.

The effectiveness of the weapon would be hotly debated for decades to come, but one thing

is for sure- after its introduction in Afghanistan, the Soviet air force no longer operated as

brazenly as it had before.

This allows the mujahideen to make serious inroads in its fight against the Soviets.

It's only with the introduction of the Stinger to the mujahideen, and the reports of mounting

Soviet aircraft losses, that America begins to show some concern over its to-date completely

unchecked tidal wave of money and weapons to Afghanistan.

There are growing worries that the Stingers will eventually make their way out of the

country and be used to shoot down civilian or military aircraft- perhaps even American

ones.

For the first time, the US takes note of the rising wave of dangerous fundamentalism amongst

the mujahideen- though ultimately America continues to leave Pakistan in charge of who

receives what.

Inevitably, the Soviet Union is forced to limp out of Afghanistan in 1989, suffering

over 14,000 dead and 50,000 wounded.

The war is over, the mujahideen successful.

Yet even as moderates like Ahmad Shah Massoud are being forced into the peripheries of post-Soviet

Afghanistan, the only concern that the United States shows in what happens next is in the

retrieval of the Stinger missile units provided to the mujahideen.

In what would become the single most baffling foreign policy decision in 20th century history,

President Ronald Reagan and successor H.W. Bush show absolutely no interest in the shaping

of future Afghanistan.

Even as civil war breaks out between extremist fundamentalists and the vastly outnumbered

moderates, the United States pays no attention.

With the direct aid and support of Pakistan, extremist forces take over most of the country,

leaving what has become the moderate United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan,

or Northern alliance, in control of only 5 to 10 percent of the nation.

With the formation of the Taliban government, Pakistan has achieved its strategic goals

in the nation, all on America's dime.

On September 9th, 2001, moderate leader and national hero Ahmad Shah Massoud, once backed

directly by MI6, is assassinated by the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, who both fear that in their

coming attack against America and the US's inevitable response, Massoud will be installed

as a popular leader to unite the nation against the Taliban.

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