Allegations of CIA assistance to Osama bin Laden
Several sources have alleged that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had ties with Osama bin Laden's faction of "Afghan Arab" fighters when it armed Mujahideen groups to fight the Soviet Union during the Soviet–Afghan War. About the same time as the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the United States began collaborating with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to provide several hundred million dollars a year in aid to the Afghan Mujahideen insurgents fighting the Afghan pro-Soviet government and the Soviet Army in Operation Cyclone. Along with native Afghan mujahideen were Muslim volunteers from other countries, popularly known as "Afghan Arabs". The most famous of the Afghan Arabs was Osama bin Laden, known at the time as a wealthy and pious Saudi who provided his own money and helped raise millions from other wealthy Persian Gulf Arabs.
Read the full Wikipedia article ↗ 34,811 reads in 60 days
Check the claims
Search independent fact-checkers for this topic:
Action items
- Read the article's evidence and "investigation" or "reception" sections, and open its cited sources.
- Before sharing anything on this topic, run it through the fact-checkers above.
- If someone you know believes it, ask what evidence would change their mind, and share one good source, not ten.
Prevention steps
- StopNotice a strong emotion (anger, fear, 'they don't want you to know') before you share. Pause first.
- Investigate the sourceWho is making the claim, what's their expertise, and what do they gain if you believe it?
- Find better coverageRead laterally: open new tabs and see what independent outlets and fact-checkers say.
- Trace claims to the originFind the original study, video or document. Check dates and whether quotes are cut.
- Ask what would change your mindReal theories can be tested. If every piece of counter-evidence 'proves' the cover-up, it can't be.
- Count the peopleBig secret plots need thousands of people to stay silent for years. That rarely happens.
- Talk, don't mockWith friends or family, ask questions, listen, share your own sources calmly. Shame backfires.
- PrebunkLearn the common tricks (cherry-picking, fake experts, false dilemmas) so you spot them early.