In recent weeks, U.S. newspapers, the Associated Press, and various wire reports have begun to attribute the on-going terrorist violence in Afghanistan to various groups and sub-groups of ‘Taliban fighters,’ ‘Taliban rebels,’ and ‘Taliban sponsored anti-coalition insurgents.’¹ Reports of ‘al Qaeda fighters’, ‘al Qaeda rebels’ and ‘al Qaeda militants’ clashing with coalition forces operating in Afghanistan have slowly been replaced with reports of insurgent activity from the former Taliban regime.

There is no doubt that al Qaeda is at present a potent force in Afghanistan. Although al Qaeda has been targeted by military operations in Afghanistan, it has not been driven out of the country. Since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, over 3,400 al Qaeda militants have been arrested, with more than 70 percent of the group's top leaders killed or captured.² However, this still leaves almost a third of the group’s command structure unaccounted for. What is more, the two most senior al Qaeda leaders, Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri, are still alive and presumably capable of inciting terrorist acts.

Recent press releases from the U.S. Department of State report that the remnants of al Qaeda have been quick to adapt to the changing Afghan environment.³ These releases cite intelligence reports that show that members of al Qaeda have gone underground and have established small, local bases in order to train and recruit the next generation of mujahideen.⁴ A recent UN study confirms the Department of State findings, and also cites intelligence reports – this time showing al Qaeda as ‘regrouping and setting up simple training facilities inside Afghanistan, close to the Pakistan border.’⁵

So then, if al Qaeda is still present in Afghanistan, why have recent reports attributed the on-going violence to members of the former Taliban regime?

One possible explanation is that al Qaeda is simply lying low for the time being. However, if true, this does not account for the recent spike in terrorist attacks attributed to members of the former Taliban regime.

Although the Taliban was eventually ousted from power, remnants of the former regime were able to escape capture and elude coalition forces by taking refuge in the rugged, mountainous terrain found along the Pakistan border region. Here, the insurgents found people sympathetic to their cause, allowing them to blend in to the background, only to emerge later and run an armed resistance against the newly established Kabul government. Recent reports have confirmed that the Taliban has survived by acting as a parallel government in southern and eastern Afghanistan where the Kabul administration lacks control.⁶ Here, the Taliban still retains a loyal following.

It has been reported that Taliban commanders are awash with cash and spending millions of dollars every month to launch attacks in order to disrupt preparations for October's presidential elections in Afghanistan.⁷ Commanders of the ousted regime are said to have millions of pounds, donated by al Qaeda and other Islamic militants, to fund raids by gunmen based in Pakistan.⁸ Documents seized from one recently arrested Taliban leader indicated that he had distributed £1 million to his fighters and arms suppliers in June alone.⁹ The money comes not only from Osama bin Laden's network, but extremist Islamist groups in Pakistan that have long backed the Taliban, and from the opium trade.

This is where it gets interesting. Although al Qaeda is financing the Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan, it is the Taliban that has implicated itself in the vast majority of the terrorist attacks. Taliban fighters have called in to local police stations, military outposts, and even news agencies to claim responsibility for the various acts of violence across the country.

At present, neither the U.S. media nor the administration of President George W. Bush has paid much attention to the fact that al Qaeda is bankrolling the Taliban-led insurgency. The media has been caught up in the reports of terrorist violence in Iraq and the threat of a terrorist attack on U.S. soil, thus has shifted its attention away from Afghanistan.

At the same time, the Bush administration has set its sights on the upcoming 2004 presidential elections. Perhaps not wanting to highlight the fact that Osama bin Laden remains at large, the administration has been very quick to accept reports of the Taliban-led insurgency without questioning the possibility of al Qaeda involvement. Given the fact that the Taliban once hosted bin Laden and the al Qaeda network and the fact that that network’s remnants are still present in Afghanistan, it is understandable that the two are yet again ‘partners in crime.’ Washington appears to have shied away from investigating such claims – possibly  for fear of drawing attention to the fact that the military operations to date have yet to eradicate al Qaeda. However, this is one issue the Bush administration cannot ignore. By claiming responsibility for the attacks, the Taliban further their legitimacy as an alternative to a democratic Afghanistan. At the same time, they further the goals of al Qaeda in expelling the ‘Western infidels’ from the Afghan nation. It is without a doubt a win-win situation for both al Qaeda and the Taliban.

To date, both the media and the American government appear to have missed the fact that they are dealing with an ideology that is much greater than any one person or any one group. Terrorist violence in Afghanistan, whether it is al Qaeda sponsored or Taliban sponsored, is still terrorist violence. It should not be tolerated. In waging a ‘War on Terror,’ the U.S. should examine all sources of terrorist violence and take active measures to combat all sources of terrorist financing. There is no such thing as a ‘benign’ terrorist group; the Taliban is just as dangerous as al Qaeda.