In a conversation with Al-Mayadeen, Imad Gad, a consultant at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, identifies former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, Saudi intelligence chief Kamal Adham, and Pakistani President Muhammad Zia-al-Haq as the three key figures involved in laying the foundations for Al-Qaeda's request. Gad said that Washington oversaw the establishment of the organization and the Afghan Mujahideen, presenting the campaign as a mobilization against an atheist state. He also explains how the US later turned against al-Qaeda after 2001, prompting Arab governments, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia, to coordinate efforts against it. Watch here.

In a conversation with Al-Mayadeen, Imad Gad, a consultant at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, identifies former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, Saudi intelligence chief Kamal Adham, and Pakistani President Muhammad Zia-al-Haq as the three key figures involved in laying the foundations for Al-Qaeda's request. Gad said that Washington oversaw the establishment of the organization and the Afghan Mujahideen, presenting the campaign as a mobilization against an atheist state. He also explains how the US later turned against al-Qaeda after 2001, prompting Arab governments, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia, to coordinate efforts against it. Watch here.