United Press International reports that Pakistan is actively trying to convince the Taliban to hand over Osama Bin Laden on the theory that the United States is likely to find Bin Laden responsbile and launch an overwhelming attack on Afghanistan.
The UPI notes that Pakistan is one of only three countries that recognizes the Taliban, which only tells half the story. It is unlikely the Taliban would exist as we know it were it not for the support it received from Pakistan after the Soviet withdrawal. The short version is that Pakistan was concerned about the infighting between the various factions who had fought the Soviet government, and put its weight behind the upstart Taliban (although some people like to blame the U.S. for helping to create the Taliban, the reality is that it was an extremely radical faction that didn’t emerge until well after U.S. involvement in Afghanistan had largely ended).
The problem for the Taliban, though, is that just a few days ago, suicide bombers believed to be part of bin Laden’s group assassinated Ahmad Shah Mas’ud who was the leader of the only group in Afghanistan left that was a serious challenge to the Taliban. The Taliban resistance is reportedly in chaos after Mas’ud’s death.
This is sort of a damned if you do, damned if you don’t. If they don’t hand over bin Laden, they’re likely to face an overwhelming military response from the United States. Hand him over, however, and Taliban leaders themselves will certainly be the targets of terrorist attacks by bin Laden’s group.