Within the secretive Taliban hierarchy that ran this country for five years, it was not hard to figure out how Osama bin Laden derived much of his influence. When the Saudi-born heir to a construction fortune called on Taliban officials, according to a former minister, he often brought wads of cash and distributed it freely -- sometimes taking out $50,000, even $100,000 at a time. "He had money in his pocket," recalled Mohammed Khaksar, who served as the Taliban's deputy interior minister. "Any time he wanted, he would just pull it out and give it to them." What bin Laden got for all this largess was equally clear -- the freedom to operate his al Qaeda terrorist network from Afghanistan without interference. "There wasn't anybody who had power over Osama," Khaksar said. "He did whatever he wanted."