Quote Originally Posted by Delta9 UK
"Al Qaeda" is actually "the base" - referring to the Database of Mujahideen fighters setup by the CIA to fight the Russian invasion of Afghanistan.

Robin Cook wrote about this in the Guardian shortly before his death:
Robin Cook: The struggle against terrorism cannot be won by military means | UK news | The Guardian

From the same article:
"Bin Laden was, though, a product of a monumental miscalculation by western security agencies. Throughout the 80s he was armed by the CIA and funded by the Saudis to wage jihad against the Russian occupation of Afghanistan. Al-Qaida, literally "the database", was originally the computer file of the thousands of mujahideen who were recruited and trained with help from the CIA to defeat the Russians. Inexplicably, and with disastrous consequences, it never appears to have occurred to Washington that once Russia was out of the way, Bin Laden's organisation would turn its attention to the west."

Just throwing in some facts - make of it what you will.
For something to be a "fact", it generally has to be regarded as true. Bin laden never worked for the CIA, and was never funded by them. This story is a myth.