Osama bin Laden was interviewed in Afghanistan by Palestinian journalist Jamal Ismail on December 22, 1998. He said: ” ‘We support the Taliban, and we consider ourselves part of them. Our blood is mixed with the blood of our Afghan brothers. For us, there is only one government in Afghanistan. It is the Taliban government. We obey all its orders. Afghanistan was the place where we buried the Soviet Union, and it will be the place to bury the Americans for their designs on the Muslims.’ ”
– “I Am Not Afraid of Death,” Newsweek, Jan. 10, 1999