"Contrary to the established perception that they are of one mind, the Taliban and al-Qaeda are not in lockstep. In fact, the Taliban in Afghanistan could be persuaded to renounce the infamous terrorist group led by Osama bin Laden.
According to Alex Strick van Linschoten and Felix Kuehn at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation, the two groups did not get along at times before the September 11 attacks, and they have continued to spar since. Also, in their report, the authors claim that Taliban leaders were not informed by al-Qaeda in advance of the attacks on New York City and Washington, DC. “Bin Laden effectively manipulated the Taliban, using their lack of international experience to advance his own goals…. Significant parts of the senior Taliban leadership, along with rank-and-file commanders, were outraged at bin Laden’s abuse of their hospitality and his blatant disregard for their government.”
U.S. and the World - Surprise! Taliban and Al-Qaeda are Worlds Apart - AllGov - News