On Our Own Terms

Within hours of the Sept. 11 tragedy, Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban regime publicly discounted the possibility that Osama bin Laden, a suspect in several previous terrorist actions and its notorious guest, could have masterminded the attacks. With wreckage still smoldering in New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania, and with the investigation leading straight to the al-Qaeda terrorist network which bin Laden heads from his Afghan headquarters, the Taliban demanded that the United States offer proof of bin Laden’s guilt. Now it appears that the United States is prepared to do precisely that.

We welcome Secretary of State Colin Powell’s announcement that the United States will release evidence linking bin Laden to the attacks. Not only will such evidence help American citizens understand the forces that led to the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history, but it will build support for a U.S.-led operation to destroy the al-Qaeda network. A strong case will be especially crucial in securing the vital assistance of Muslim nations in combating the terrorist threat, and we hope that the government releases the maximum volume of evidence consistent with protecting its intelligence assets.

One would hope that the evidence will be sufficiently strong to convince the Taliban to reverse its obstinacy and turn over bin Laden to appropriate authorities. Unfortunately, such cooperation seems unlikely—especially in light of the Taliban’s claim on Sunday that bin Laden is nowhere to be found.

There is, of course, no reason to trust the Taliban, which has a long history of harboring terrorist organizations. Its reclusive leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, threatened yesterday that unless the U.S. withdraws its military from the Persian Gulf, stays out of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and leaves the Muslim world alone, there will be “an endless war that will burn America and America only.” These are not the words of international cooperation in the face of mass murder. Given the high probability of U.S. military action to disrupt bin Laden’s network, the Taliban has much to gain by convincing the world that bin Laden has vanished—regardless of whether that claim is true.

The idea that Osama bin Laden suddenly disappeared is, to say the least, implausible. To begin with, bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network is not a one-man show: it operates multiple training camps in many nations where would-be terrorists hone their homicidal skills. Even if bin Laden has slipped off into the night, it is almost impossible to believe that his entire organization followed suit. Furthermore, Pakistan and other neighboring countries are controlling their borders tightly, meaning that bin Laden has few places to turn. His exact whereabouts may be unknown, but there is strong reason to believe that he and his cohorts remain in Afghanistan. Any responsible government in the same situation would accept international help in tracking down a network of terrorists––and would understand the demand of the nation attacked to particiate in the search.

Of course, the Taliban is far from a responsible government. It has a long and shameful history of dealing violence, death and destruction to its own people, as well as allowing others to attack the U.S. from Afghan soil. Bin Laden and his organization are widely believed to have planned the attack on the U.S.S. Cole, as well as the bombing of American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. Now more than 6,000 innocent civilians have been killed, and the U.S. has the right and obligation to investigate the source of these atrocities first-hand.

If the Taliban, despite its de facto sponsorship of terror, wishes to cooperate in the investigation, all the better. But we stand behind President George W. Bush’s statement that closing terrorist training camps and bringing the members of al-Qaeda to justice are not negotiable demands. The use of military force would be justified if it proves necessary to bring the masterminds of Sept. 11 to justice, eradicate the networks of terror, and bring the assurance of security to innocent people throughout the world.

If the Taliban persists in its present policy of escalating threats and dubious denials, America’s case can only become stronger.