On March 29, 2005, the head of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, “Lt.-Gen. David Barno had prophetically warned, ‘Al Qaeda clearly still wants to see the Taliban stage some kind of a comeback in Afghanistan. …They’re still providing financing, with guidance, training, support and selected individuals that help lead and motivate the operations in Afghanistan. They clearly want to use the Taliban as they have in the past.’ ”
– Ahmed Rashid, Descent Into Chaos, Page 281