The taliban and the Al Qaida group have much similiarities and much to offer each other, which is why they are often very closly linked. They have extremely strong ties and have been basically 'best-friends'. Al Qaida can offer the Taliban money, which could have played a factor in why they didn't turn in Bin Laden, althought there are loads of reasons. The Taliban (used to) be able to offer power and political 'pull'. As of now, they could offer military assistance, which in turn makes these two groups somewhat strong. If the Taliban went into war (like they did) I'm sure Al Qaida would definitely back them up in anyways possible. More than likely, theys ent soliders to them while battling the Northern Alliance. So yes, I could see that Al Qaida and the Taliban Regime are not the same, but when it comes to operations, wars, or anything of the like, the two are tight as anything.
