Following Gen. Musharraf's undiplomatic outburst against Afghan President Karzai last week, here is some plain speaking by the Afghan Foreign Minister Dr. Abdulla (via CNN transcripts ):

ABDULLAH: I should say that as far as the Taliban and the people of Afghanistan is concerned, the people have rejected the agenda of Taliban, and they have rejected it long before. When it comes to their activities, the main issue is that most of these activities are linked one way or another to what is happening in the other side of the border. It's there that we are working. We are talking with our neighboring country Pakistan. BLITZER: Do you have any idea where Osama bin Laden is? ABDULLAH: To the best of our intelligence, to the best of my knowledge, he is outside Afghanistan. And he might be in the same place where all those other members of Al Qaida have been arrested. So that's as far as I can say. BLITZER: You think both bin Laden and Zawahiri are in Pakistan? ABDULLAH: They are not in Afghanistan. I hope they will be able to find those people the same way that they have found all the other members of Al Qaida, in the same places. BLITZER: So you think all of them, all three of them are together or near each other in Pakistan? ABDULLAH: That's our intelligence, that they are among their friends. Their supporters are in Pakistan.

Somebody had to say it like it is. Like we noted earlier, every *real* Al-Queda leader arrested so far were from big Pakistani cities Islamabad, Rawalpindi and NOT from some mountain caves. For long Gen. Musharraf popped out mysterious Al-Queda No. 3 leaders without arresting a single Taliban leader. This will undoubtedly put more pressure to deliver the real goods - that is if the "tactically brilliant" General survives that long. Otherwise, the glorious mantle as 'The Savior of the Pure Land' will soon be passed to one of the "Corp Commanders". Update: This is getting interesting. Pakistan bans two Afghan TV channels.