Here's the region currently controlled by the Northern Alliance. In order to build their gas pipeline they have to move westward to open a corridor to Turkmenistan:

http://www.rferl.org/specials/afghan/maps/

There are perhaps only two Taliban-controlled cities standing in their way: Mazar-e Sharif, and, Kheyrabad.

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/af.html

Russia has been supplying Iran with weapons of every sort including biological weapons. In turn Iran has been supplying weapons to the Afghan Northern Alliance for years so that they can hold their ground against the Pakistani-supplied Taliban. Iran wants the Northern Alliance to secure a corridor for a gas pipeline to China, a promenent member of the World Trade Organization, and with whom they want to maintain close ties. It is better for them to do this favor for China than to build a pipeline through their own country - which they have had attractive opportunities to do, but rejected.

http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/afghan2/

Anyways there was a significant military buildup in the Caspian Sea area and open hostility over how the petroleum reserves were to be divied up - just before the Sept.11 attacks.

My opinion is that perhaps Al-Quaeda was comissioned by one or more of these parties (perhaps even supplied with weapons) to bring a third party into the dispute in order to tip the balance of power. Basically an attempt to annex another country this is an act of war so they needed the US to do it for them. The Sept.11 attacks the US and NATO could NOT POSSIBLY IGNORE BIN LADEN. Naturally they go there to fulfill the plan.

Opinions?