Jeffrey J. Schloesser: Rebel Quell

But is there any official prohibition to prevent you from talking to Taliban militants?
That's not in my realm to answer. The Afghan government has a peace and reconciliation program. But we do make recommendations [to the government] about people we believe are ready to [lay down their arms and join the government's side].

Do you believe those who say Osama bin Laden is hiding somewhere in your area of operations, perhaps in Kunar province?
That's a super-hard question to answer. As you know, each and every day we are doing everything we can to not only help the Afghan people but also to look for the enemies of the Afghan people, and of the rest of the world. Osama bin Laden is one of them. I guarantee you if he is in our area, we are going to continue each and every day to try to find him.

© 2008