Much like the mujahedeen in Afghanistan decades ago, jihadi in Syria today see potential for victory over Russia in a war of mujahedeen attrition.

The Soviet intervention in Afghanistan has become a popular topic of conversation among jihadis in Syria. Many of them either have memories to share or questions to ask, for it was a turning point in the path of modern jihad. It was there that al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden took the spotlight, along with so many other jihadi “stars” who later found their own ways and started dozens of new “brands.” They founded what could be called a line of jihadi entrepreneurship.

In Syria today, the main jihadi groups are applying these recollections to their discussions of how to counter the current Russian attack. The issue is no longer a sectarian war with the Syrian regime and its allies, Iran and Hezbollah. It has become a global war — which sells better with young Islamists who might be reluctant to fight against fellow Muslims. It’s a war against the legacy of Soviet communists, the “genuine unbelievers.”

Both the Islamic State (IS) and Jabhat al-Nusra, the two main jihadi groups in Syria, have declared a holy war on the Russians. "The war in [Syria] will make the Russians forget the horrors they faced in Afghanistan,” said Jabhat al-Nusra leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani. In a YouTube audio message posted Oct. 12, he added, “The new Russian invasion is the last arrow in the quiver of the enemies of Muslims and the enemies of Syria.”