Al-Qaeda, Iraq, and the Taliban

Unconfirmed reports from Afghanistan suggest that al-Qaeda is diverting money and manpower away from the Taliban and toward Iraq. Bin Laden reportedly said through representatives that the Taliban should stop depending on al-Qaeda and instead unite with other anti-American factions in Afghanistan. I also read reports over the summer suggesting that al-Qaeda leaders were disillusioned with the Taliban's lack of aggression against the U.S. If al-Qaeda starts playing a direct role in Iraq, that would be very bad for the U.S., as it opens the possibility of a resistance with decentralized funding sources (and hence ultimate power), much like that in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. If the former Ba'athist leadership is running the resistance, catching them won't do much good if they are simply replaced by a network of Islamic militants from overseas.