Conflict on the horizon. “…they were holding the Saudi-born millionaire and hiding him in secret for his own safety.” I’m having a hard time understanding the tactical position that the Taliban, and even Bin Laden himself, are taking here. It’s clear, despite the difficulty of waging a conventional land war in Afghanistan, that the deck is so completely stacked against them that there is only one way in which they can even stay in power. So, wouldn’t it be better to hand over this person, and maintain power in the country? I’m sure they could then talk the US into economic aid. It seems that, regardless of their current position, they are choosing to try and win this one very small battle rather than looking long term. Knowing this, there is only one explanantion that makes any sense, which is that Bin Laden is the one really running things there. By not having an official position in the government he manipulates our current system of world nation state relations and poses a sort of Catch 22 situation. From a PR perspective, it is necessary for our country to eliminate the confusion about his role in Afghanistan.