What is the meaning in Arabic of Al Qaeda? القاعِدة

According to Major Pierre-Henri Bunel:

It’s “The Base”, namely the Computer Database of the Islamic Mujahideen ( Reagan’s “Freedom Fighters”) recruited by the CIA.

“When Osama bin Laden was an American agent in Afghanistan, the Al Qaida Intranet was a good communication system through coded or covert messages.

The truth is, there is no Islamic army or terrorist group called Al Qaida. And any informed intelligence officer knows this.”

The above statement by Major Bunel, was confirmed by the late British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook (shortly before his passing) in a pointed article in The Guardian:

“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-Qaeda, 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. (Robin Cook, The Guardian, July 8, 2005, see also archive, emphasis added)