Did the US train Osama bin Laden?

Answer 1

There is no credible evidence that the US trained OBL. In the 80's the US did provide

arms and material to the Afghan freedom fighters, the mujahideen, who were trying to drive the Soviets out of their country. At the same time, the mujahideen were also receiving support from many other countries which were Muslim. They were

also receiving aid from private Muslims, among them Bin Laden, who was providing his own money and helping raise money.

The mujahideen were beijng aided by some Muslim fighters from other countries and among them was Bin Laden. So, yes, Bin Laden and the US were fighting the same

enemy at the same time, but there is no evidence that he received training from the US. Some people take this simple truth and try to expand it without basis.

Besides the lack of affirmitive evidence, the strongest arguments against the US training Bin Laden are:

1 - The number of Mulsim fighters in Afghanistan that were from outside the country

was very small, a few thousand compared to the hundreds of thousands of indigenous Afghans. So, there would not have been much point to trying to engage with rag tag forces from other countries inside Afghanistan when there were plenty of Afghans that were highly motivated fighters.

2 - The US aid and arms to the mujahideen was delivered via Pakistan and Pakistan would not allow the US to distribute the arms and aid within Afghanistan. Pakistan insisted on doing it themselves.

3 - While we shared a common enemy, the Muslims like Bin Laden had very different religious and social beliefs than the West and it would have been difficult and dangerous for the US to engage with and train them directly. They were already causing carnage for the Russians with WW1 vintage rifles and they knew how to conduct their guerrilla style war. What they needed most from the US were specific arms, like the Stinger missle to greatly increase their firepower. To train them how to fire a shoulder launced rocket was clearly within the capability of the Pakistanis. i think time magazine said that bin laden was their he is Saudi they consider other Muslims not their equal and some generals insulted him too