The Taliban’s Offer to Turn Over Osama

Faced with certain annhilation the Taliban regime of Afghanistan repeatedly offered to turn over Osama bin Laden during the weeks between 9/11 and the 10/4 start of the US invasion of Afghanistan–and even after the start of the war. Oddly this has become, along with the failure of US air defenses to scramble jets to investigate the four hijacked planes, one of the great lost stories of the “war on terrorism.”

I have received several inquiries from readers about the Taliban offer after posting this week’s column, which references this unequivocal fact. Some of the best sources still available to verify the fact that George W. Bush deliberately allowed Osama to “get away” include the Associated Press’ report about the Taliban offer, the UK Guardian’s account of Bush’s rejection thereof and a Washington Post transcript of a press conference with Secretary of State Colin Powell.