“Osama Bin Laden: The Early Life of a Terrorist.”

On September 11, 2001, the United States was forever changed by the terrorism of Al-Qaeda and its leader, Osama bin Laden. A major attack struck the economic nerve center of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, along with the loss of Flight 93 over the farm fields of Shanksville, Pennsylvania. For months, people from the tri-state area, especially those from Long Island, saw the smoke that descended from the rubble of Lower Manhattan. It seems like yesterday that these horrific events, nearly twenty-five years ago, killed almost 3,000 innocent people. As we approach this tragic date, many people know little about the background of Osama bin Laden.

His father, Mohammed Awad, immigrated from South Yemen to Saudi Arabia in 1930, where he rose from poverty to extreme wealth. His father eventually built palaces for King Saud at lower costs, cultivating a close relationship with the most powerful leader in Saudi Arabia. When political friction occurred between Faisal and Saud, the elder bin Laden helped prevent bloodshed by convincing Saud to leave power. As the kingdom was nearly bankrupt, the elder bin Laden paid the salaries of government workers. By aiding the country, the bin Laden construction company’s power grew as Faisal decreed that all building contracts would be issued to it. After the Al-Aqsa Mosque was damaged by fire, it was rebuilt by bin Laden, as were other religious structures in Mecca and Medina.

Osama was born on March 10, 1957, and was the seventeenth of his father’s approximately fifty children. He grew up, in part, surrounded by his father’s wealth and was directed to strictly follow Islam. While his father expected his children to be mature, his mother divorced his father, remarried, and Osama lived with his stepsiblings. He attended a well-known high school in Jeddah, and when he was 10 years old, his father, whom he barely knew, died in a plane crash. As a young adult, he was considered a shy and intelligent individual who was expected to memorize the entire Quran, but he gravitated toward increasingly radical interpretations of jihad.

Several years later, at 17 years old, Osama married one of his cousins and later earned a degree in public administration. She was the first of four wives, with whom he fathered numerous children. He traveled to different parts of the world, and years later, it was believed that he had been influenced by experiences and contacts in Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Sudan. Osama gravitated toward the Muslim Brotherhood, which opposed “outside forces” it believed threatened the structure of Islam. Coming from a wealthy family, Osama met influential people from different parts of the world who visited Saudi Arabia for the Hajj. Although it was believed that he attended college in preparation for working in his family’s wealthy business, he adhered to the notion that using violence was acceptable to protect Islam. In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, supported the socialist government, and tried to maintain a friendly nation on its border.

For years, the Soviets trained, supplied, and equipped allied Afghan forces that were aligned with Moscow’s political agenda. From Washington, D.C., President Jimmy Carter was concerned about instability in the country, the expansion of communism in the Middle East, particularly toward the oil reserves in the Persian Gulf, and the strength of the Soviet Union. In December 1979, Moscow sent thousands of soldiers into the country. Initially, Carter ordered limited supplies to aid the efforts of Afghan mujahideen, or “freedom fighters,” fighting the Soviet presence in Afghanistan. The situation escalated as the Soviet government deployed approximately 100,000 troops to guard cities, towns, and rural villages against the growing insurgency.

Osama hardened his beliefs about the necessity of protecting Islam, and these sentiments intensified at the start of the conflict in Afghanistan as he traveled to Pakistan to learn more about the war. He was enraged at the sight of Afghan refugees, especially those he had become acquainted with through the Hajj. The fighting created enormous hardships in Afghanistan. By 1982, approximately 2.8 million people had fled to refugee camps in Pakistan, while another 1.5 million had moved into Iran. This was a defining moment for him as he viewed Soviet involvement in Afghanistan through the belief that Islam was under attack. Coming from a wealthy and notable family, Osama collected donations from family members, friends, and influential Saudis. Osama’s own personal “jihad” expanded when he sent workers associated with the bin Laden organization to operational bases in Pakistan to support Afghan fighters. In 1982, Osama went into Afghanistan, where he closely watched the fighting against the Soviets and analyzed the needs of the mujahideen as they fought a superior enemy with greater firepower and weaponry.

By 1986, Osama sent reinforcements to Afghan units and sought the goal of leading resistance forces and holding his sector against the Soviets. While the Soviet Union was a superpower with greater air and land power, the Afghans defiantly opposed an enemy that, after several years, was still unable to conquer the rugged country. Like the Vietnam War, the conflict offered the Soviet Union no clear path to victory. Morale was decimated, and approximately 15,000 Soviet soldiers were ultimately killed during the war. Near the Pakistani border, Osama established training camps for Egyptian, Syrian, and other Middle Eastern men who fought alongside his forces.

In the province of Paktia, Osama fought against Soviet and Afghan government forces during the Battle of Jaji, where the mujahideen’s al-Masada, or “Lion’s Den,” compound was targeted by Soviet airborne and allied Afghan forces. With about 50 fighters, Osama defended his position against helicopter gunships, artillery, cluster bombs, and other heavy weapons. Osama’s followers attacked Soviet forces that moved into the mountains, operating behind enemy lines and threatening to surround them. During the fighting, Osama gained additional confidence from the resistance his fighters mounted against the Soviet forces.

Through Operation Cyclone, the Reagan administration increased its funding and support for the Afghan mujahideen fighting the Soviet Union. Saudi Arabia also provided substantial financial support, while large quantities of arms moved into Afghanistan through Pakistan. Many of these weapons were transported into the country through Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to weaken the Soviets and strengthen the resolve of the Afghan resistance. Through these events, Osama’s stature grew, and he gained experience organizing, financing, and supporting militant fighters. Although the United States supported the Afghan resistance in its effort to defeat the Soviet occupation, the complex network of fighters and organizations that emerged from the war would have consequences long after Soviet forces withdrew. Years later, during the 1990s, Osama attacked American business, political, and military interests and emerged as one of the most serious terrorist threats against the United States before orchestrating the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Next week: The growth of Osama bin Laden’s attacks against the United States and the road to September 11, 2001.