made. this is where al qaeda was born. recruits were soon put to the test. in february, 1989, the soviets, in the last stages of their withdrawal, left behind a puppet ghan communist government. for al qaeda, victory in afghanistan was not yet complete. they joined the battle against the afghan communists in jalalabad near the pakistan border. on the battlefield, bin laden was more than a dismal failure. he lost many soldiers. among those in the militant community, like egyptian osama rushdie, bin laden's reputation took a hit. >> translator: lots of people