“Soon after [Taleban leader] Mullah [Mohammed] Omar’s forces occupied Jalalabad [Afghanistan] in July 1996, [al-Qaeda theorist Abu Musab] al-Suri reported that Taleban officials likewise pledged to protect bin Laden, though they knew him only by reputation and did not invite him to Afghanistan, and so had no obligation to him.” [The 15th of the month used for date sorting purposes only.]
– Michael Scheuer, Osama Bin Laden, Page 106