Then came 9/11, when – under intense pressure from the United States to support American retaliation in Afghanistan or face the consequences – he was forced to disown his protégés. The Taliban, under whose rule Osama bin Laden had found a safe haven, had been created (and, in crucial battles, led) by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
随后发生了911事件。美国强烈要求巴基斯坦支持在阿富汗实行报复，否则就会面临后果。此时他被迫断绝了与这些被保护人的关系。巴基斯坦的联合情报部门(ISI)建立了塔利班并且在关键性战役中指挥他们，而本拉登则在塔利班的统治下建立了安全老巢。现在，为了保持巴基斯坦与世界唯一超级大国(以及该国最大的援助国)的联盟，穆沙拉夫不得不背叛自己人。