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Task force was about domestic shenanigans. Meetings with Enron and such.

The so called "Taliban" pipeline was a nothing.

Either they ignored the threat or they were planning.

HIndus were made to wear saffron markings May 2001
Bamiyan Buddhas blown up later that year.

IMO, Bush depended on the Saudis to nip any plan in the bud. They failed. Back to his primary blind spot.

The Pentagon has contingency plans for everything, including probably invading and taking over the UK.

Oil-driven paranoia tends to muddy the water. If a pipeline was in the works there is nothing dishonest about it. There was nothing about trying to work with the people who controlled 9/10 of Afghanistan and trying to woo them into becoming a real government, we were doing everything we could and more. Every NGO in the world was in there working trying to ameliorate the damage caused by these guys. And a lot of it was US money.

So while I badmouth us for "walking away" after the Soviets were ejected, the reality is a little more complicated. We were in there trying, but we had little to work with. You can't make a silk purse out of murderous flat-earthers, as the saying goes.

The famous Afghan pipeline was originally proposed by Unocal. You will note that Unocal has not only not built that line, it has done little or nothing at all in Central Asia. The risk is very high there, and only the big boys with lots of clout, or the little ones with little to lose can risk operating there.

A friend of mine was involved in doing a study of Central Asian oil assets for Unocal after the region opened up for investment. His recommendation was run, not walk, to the nearest exit. It was at that time still a very scary place to try and work. It is still not the easiest place, they are not above shaking down even Chevron, how is a smaller company going to make it? Because once you have sunk a billion of your dollars in their country, you are hostage to your investment and they own you.

Unocal spent a number of years trying to get the Talibs and Northern Alliance folk to kiss and make up, and spread a lot of money around. Between them and the US government, the Talibs received a fair amount of money. But they were what they were, if you are nice to a Wahab, he just thinks you are pathetic.

So Unocal gave up and went away. Some Argentines tried and they gave up also.

Who really needs the pipeline is Turkmenistan, a truly scary place with no outlet to the sea; and Afghanistan, whose economy consists of heroin and goats. No one in their right minds would sink $3 billion dollars into such a place.

You will notice that after the war, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan convened a meeting to promote the pipeline, and got no takers. They invited Chinese participation but so far even they aren't interested. Would you risk your own money on such a project?

Neither would anyone else. In a year it would look like swiss cheese, so many holes would have been blown in it. Any disgruntled ex-employee with a souvenir handgrenade would be able to shut you down.

For what its worth, Enron went broke on a project in India. India is safe. There is no guarantee when you sink your money in an offshore investment even when they aren't shooting at you. I would gladly work on a pipeline in Afghanistan, because I'm crazy. But even I'm not crazy enough to invest in the thing.