Documents: U.S., Taliban bargained over bin Laden

CNN ^

[Lunatic Fringe]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- During secret meetings with U.S. officials in 1998, top Taliban officials discussed assassinating or expelling Osama bin Laden in response to al Qaeda's deadly bombings of U.S. embassies in Africa, according to State Department documents.

The newly declassified documents, posted Thursday on the National Archives Web site, provide a fascinating glimpse into U.S. diplomacy exerted on Afghanistan's ruling Taliban -- a regime officially unrecognized by Washington -- nearly three years before the September 11, 2001, al Qaeda attacks on the United States.

[1john2 3and4]

Sandy Burgler...please pick up the white courtesy phone....Sandy Burgler???

[JLS]

Yeah I wonder if the 911 Whitewash Commission missed this too?

[VeniVidiVici]

Seems to me I've heard this before.

Though, perhaps I'm thinking of one of the other times Clinton was offered Bin Laden.

[LauraleeBraswell]

hmmmm, and who was President in 1998?

[Christian4Bush]

Sandy Burgler...please pick up the white courtesy phone....Sandy Burgler???

He can't...it won't fit inside his socks.

[RazorGhost]

During secret meetings with U.S. officials in 1998,

AH HA!! I knew it! ITs Bushes fault!!!1111!!!

[coconutt2000]

I thought this was common knowledge.

[coconutt2000]

I think the Left is blaming Cheney for everything that happened during and because of Clinton's Administration.

[endthematrix]

Another hit piece attempting to link the US is complicit in Taliban atrocity. The fact is the "moderate" wing knew AQ would bring down the regime. And it did! So in order to preserve it's integrity and look to the future of being recognized internationally (they did control 90 percent of the country) they attempted to bargain. The Taliban "hardliners" had control, and to bargain the US knew they would have to deal, and even gave aid to the Taliban. This should not be shocking...well except that the "moderate" Taliban (did warn us of attacks to the Homeland pre-9/11. They also asked of cleaning up AQ and wanted us have a "Mountain Storm" like desert storm to clear out OBL. Well, we had our "Operation Mountain Storm."

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0907-08.htm

[endthematrix]

It is but for the millions who have a short memory, now will think President Bush conspired with the EVIL Taliban. The MSM is just bloating the big lie.

[neodad]

Yeah I wonder if the 911 Whitewash Commission missed this too?

It wasn't the Ommission's fault. It was State Department lawyers.

[TomGuy]

...assassinating or expelling Osama bin Laden in response to al Qaeda's deadly bombings of U.S. embassies in Africa, according to State Department documents

So, there was a connection between OBL and the embassy bombings.

So, there were legal reasons OBL could have been 'arrested', detained, captured or killed.

State Department documents? Who was the Secretary of State? Oh, yah, Maddie 'the maid' Albright.

So Clinton knew. Or should have. Yet his defense against not actively pursuing OBL was 'they didn't have enough to connect him to the crimes.'

===

Almost as bad as the Clinton legacy is the Bush 2 do nothing attitude about giving the Clinton people a pass on their corruption and negligence.

[JLS]

It was the commission's fault if it was not in their report and they did not investigate the failure of the Clinton administration to take terriorism seriously.

[PilloryHillary]

[sydbas]

"It is unbelievable that this small man did this to you," Ahmed said during their meeting on December 19, 1998, according to the documents.

It's unbelievable Clinton let this small man go so he could continue his murdering spree.

[liberty2004]

Almost as bad as the Clinton legacy is the Bush 2 do nothing attitude about giving the Clinton people a pass on their corruption and negligence

That always bothered me too. I can't understand it. i wonder if it has something to do with the 900 FBI files? Something is not right about Bush 41 being close to Clinton. It is definitely strange. It will only benefit Hillary in 08.

[Cougar66]

My first thought was the Berger theft as well.

[Tacis]

Do the documents show how much the Saudis paid Willie to ensure that no harm came to OBL? They routed some cash to Willie via Iraqi oil voucher money paid to Marc Rich. Vince Foster regularly went to Switzerland to mange these accounts and died when the criminality of these efforts became too great, even for him.

These documents should also lead to CIA raw notes of the meetings in Europe between Willie's reps, usually Vince, and Saudi, Iraqi, al-Qaida or OBL hitters through most of the 90s. The constant dem mendacity about "no connection" and Berger's thefts are proof that Willie was on the take.

[Berlin_Freeper]

Historical facts destroy any assertion that the Taliban were seriously considering moving against OBL.

This is a no brainer, we knocked the Taliban out of power in Afghanistan because they would not turn over OBL so any talk that they ever seriously considered to do is is bogus and lame brained.