Sunday, March 3, 2002 (SF Chronicle)

In the streets of Kabul and Kandahar, the name Juma Namangani had cachet. It still does. Walk into any bazaar in those Afghan cities, and people will tell you that Namangani was a good friend of Osama bin Laden. The two were so close that, two years ago, bin Laden personally gave Namangani at least $20 million to buy arms and equipment. Last October, after the United States began bombing Afghanistan, it was Namangani who directed Taliban forces in the northern Afghan city of Taloqan......   READ FULL 

From the cauldron's edge/'Taliban' author offers rare insight into troubled territories Jonathan Curiel, Chronicle Staff Writer