This is John Batchelor.

Conversation with Bill Rajo, my colleague at the Foundation for Defense of Democracy,

responding to my speculation, Al-Qaeda maintaining training camps in Afghanistan in the same areas mountainous areas filled

with natural resources where the Financial Times establishes there are more and more mines

being opened up, some with heavy moving equipment and

attention to selling to other countries like China.

The material taken out of these mines, nephrite, marble, chromite, much to

fine including mine, but gemstonesstones lots of gemstones so the speculation on my

part was as al-Qaeda helping al-Qaeda does come from a construction company that

would be bin Laden's in Saudi Arabia and al-Qaeda

does have transnational connections. Does it get part of the profits? Is the Taliban participate with al-Qaeda.

All these questions and more, Bill Raggio,

the Foundation for Defense and Democracy, the mines of Afghanistan were

said to be at least $2 trillion worth of goods.

And how is it? Who is it who is it what is it taking advantage now more of this later

I am not aware of efforts for al-Qaeda to help the Taliban with exploiting these minds getting

you know manpower but I certainly wouldn't put it past them we have to look at bin Laden's

history in the construction industry, you know, a multi-billion dollar corporation based in Saudi Arabia.

I would not be surprised in the least if Al Qaeda was

attempting to help the Taliban recruit talent that you know the the the

exodus of the knowledgeable you know people in industry and mining and all of that from the

Taliban takeover that's something that certainly hurts. I also wouldn't be

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