Al Qaeda Funded by the Reagan Administration

Given my ignorance about al Qaeda, it came as news to me when I read that they were partly funded by the Reagan administration in the late 80s.

Apparently, the rudimentary foundation of al Qaeda was created in 1987 after the split of two factions of the mujahedeen (holy warriors) fighting against the Soviet presence in Afghanistan.

And during the 1980s, the Reagan administration (which simultaneously warned of Islamic fundamentalism in Iran) generously funded the anti-Soviet insurgence, "using fundamentalism to entice potential recruits from around the region." (David Leheny, "The War on Terrorism in Asia and the Possibility of Secret Regionalism" in "Remapping East Asia: The Construction of a Region", Ed T.J. Pempel)

Talk about feeding the snakes to kill the lion. And when the lion is slain, the snakes find new targets, including the hands that previously fed them. Of course I am simplifying issues, and being simplistic here.