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Welcome to the Toeg Effect. This is your host, Toeg. Today, we examine the forgotten conflict and its future. Today, we look into the effects of this conflict on the country and what lies ahead. Today, we review

THE AFGHAN CONFLICT AND THE FUTURE OF AFGHANISTAN

On October 7, 2001, the US launched its attack on the country of Afghanistan. The reason for the attack was supposedly to rid Afghanistan of the terrorist group known as al Qaeda as well as the country's government lead by the Taliban. But an article by the BBC on September 20, 2001, sheds some new light on the subject. Entitled, "US Rejects Bin Laden," the story give a different perspective on the events leading to the war on Afghanistan. According to then White House spokesperson, Ari Fleischer, the real demands were quite different. In the report, he is quoting as saying, "The president has demanded that key figures of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization, including Osama Bin Laden, be turned over to responsible authorities and that the Taliban close terrorist camps in Afghanistan - and the United States stands behind those demands."

In this message there is no mention of a US requirement for the removal of the Taliban-led government, only a stoppage of their supposed terrorist camps. Furthermore, the article stated the following: "The US, which has begun a major military build-up in the Gulf, has threatened to attack if the Taliban allow Bin Laden to remain in Afghanistan." Indeed, it appeared that the fate of Osama ben Laden and Afghanistan were inextricably linked. So what did the Taliban do about such dire circumstances? According to the article, "The United States has dismissed as inadequate a ruling by Afghanistan's senior clerics that Osama Bin Laden should be asked to leave the country."

The following day, the Taliban asked to see proof that Osama was guilty of starting 9/11, but the US government refused all requests. By October 7, 2001, the invasion of Afghanistan had begun, and all hopes of a peaceful settlement dashed. Why didn't the US accede to the Taliban's offer for removal of Osama, and why did they refuse to produce the necessary evidence requested by the Taliban? The answer may well lie in an article by the BBC posted just two days before the Taliban offer of OBL's delivery.

On September 18, 2001, a BBC article reports that Niaz Naik, a former Pakistani Foreign Secretary, told the BBC that he first heard of the Afghan invasion in July of that year while attending a UN-sponsored event

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