Afghan Arabs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A generally ineffective group of fighters in the Soviet-Afghan War, the spin surrounding the Arab fighters enhanced their reputation, giving them almost hero status within the Arab world for defeating the “godless communists”.
[edit] Composition
One company of the Arabs recruited to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan comprised an estimated 10,000 men, not all of whom saw combat. They included some 2,000 Egyptians, 2,800 Algerians, 400 Tunisians, 370 Iraqis, 300 Yemenis, 200 Libyans, hundreds of Jordanians and other Arabs.
[edit] After the war with the Soviets
After the war, many stayed in Afghanistan and took Afghan wives. Others returned to their home countries, often getting into trouble for political agitation. In a most extreme case fighters established in Algeria the Armed Islamic Group, a group who aim it was to overthrow the government in that country.
They made up an essential core of the foot soldiers of Al-Qaeda. During the American campaign in Afghanistan in late 2001, many coherent units of Arab fighters were destroyed by JDAMs.
In Foreign Affairs, Peter Bergen writes:
The foreign volunteers in Afghanistan saw the Soviet defeat as a victory for Islam against a superpower that had invaded a Muslim country. Estimates of the number of foreign fighters who fought in Afghanistan begin in the low thousands; some spent years in combat, while others came only for what amounted to a jihad vacation. The jihadists gained legitimacy and prestige from their triumph both within the militant community and among ordinary Muslims, as well as the confidence to carry their jihad to other countries where they believed Muslims required assistance. When veterans of the guerrilla campaign returned home with their experience, ideology, and weapons, they destabilized once-tranquil countries and inflamed already unstable ones.
