The point is, politicians in any country can be relied on to spin any story, and to present any enemy of their enemies in a way that makes them sound as if they were basically singing from the same hymn sheet.

After all it's not very long since the likes of Bin laden were being presented as heroic freedom fighters against the Russians in Afghanistan - why Rambo even got into the act:

"Rambo travels to Pakistan where he meets with a group of Mujaheddin freedom fighters who agree to lead him across the border into Afghanistan. On horseback, Rambo and the Mujaheddin approach the daunting Afghan landscape--high cliffs, jagged desert mountains, and networks of underground tunnels and caves." (From here)