Jim and Gisele ask: Is it true that the CIA trained bin Laden?
Some media outlets have reported that during Afghanistan’s conflict with the Soviet Union in the ’80s, the CIA trained bin Laden. While the American government admits that it funded Afghanistan and assisted in training some Afghans, the official line – so far – is that it did not train bin Laden personally. Ron Rae wants to know: Did Osama bin Laden ever issue a fatwa against the United States? If so, when? In August 1996, Osama bin Laden declared jihad against the U.S. The term “jihad” has been subject to a variety of interpretations. Most modern Muslims use it to mean “struggle” in the sense of trying to stay true to Islam. But bin Laden and other fundamentalists use it to mean a holy war against those who they deem to oppose Islam. In bin Laden’s declaration, he outlined his goals as: driving the U.S. forces from the Arabian Peninsula, overthrowing the Saudi Arabian government, liberating Muslim holy sites and supporting Islamic revolutionary groups around the world. He declares the
