Now that Public Enemy number one has been found, some are wondering what happened to the other guy. It’s been two years since Osama bin Laden disappeared in the smoke of the US assault on Tora Bora. The spiritual leader of the Taliban, Mullah Omar also vanished into the twilight zone of these borders between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Some experts credit these men with inspiring a terrorist renaissance in that part of the world.
Once again messages and video tapes are circulating, foot soldiers are regrouping and jihadis are reorganizing in madrasas. Now that Saddam Hussein is in custody, some wonder whether it’s time for the Americans to get back to the business of finding Osama — or whether the smart thing to do is to leave him in the desert.
Guests:
Jessica Stern, lecturer at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government
Steven Simon, senior analyst at the RAND institute
Scott Baldauf, Christian Science Monitor South Asia correspondent
Massoud Ansari, a Senior Reporter for the Pakistani newsmagazine Newsline