Taliban to Osama: Shut Up!

You won't be hearing anything from Osama bin Laden for a while -- if the Taliban is to be believed. After the exiled Saudi millionaire put out the word that America could expect retaliation for last week's cruise missile attacks on his camps, Afghanistan's Islamic leaders had a few quiet words with him. "I am angry because Osama is making anti-American statements from our soil and I stressed on him not to do so," said Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Taliban militia's supreme leader. Bin Laden had agreed to "obey" the instructions and lie low, Omar added.

Why should the Taliban, who roundly condemned the U.S. action against Bin Laden, be so upset at the terrorist chieftain? The Taliban is deeply dependent on financial aid from Saudi Arabia and on political and military support from Pakistan, and both nations are leaning on the ruling militia to rein in Bin Laden. The Taliban also wants to be recognized by the U.N. as Afghanistan's official government, especially now that it's squaring up for a confrontation with Iran. Bin Laden doesn't exactly have that many places to rest his head, so he will probably be persuaded to speak softly, although never letting go of his big stick.