What was the U.S.' relation to Bin Laden prior to 9/11?

I don't have an answer (or an opinion at the moment), but former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds said in a recent interview that

"...the US maintained 'intimate relations' with Bin Laden, and the Taliban, "all the way until that day of September 11."

These 'intimate relations' included using Bin Laden for 'operations' in Central Asia, including Xinjiang, China. These 'operations' involved using al Qaeda and the Taliban in the same manner "as we did during the Afghan and Soviet conflict," that is, fighting 'enemies' via proxies...

... this process involved using Turkey (with assistance from 'actors from Pakistan, and Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia') as a proxy, which in turn used Bin Laden and the Taliban and others as a proxy terrorist army.

The goals... included control of Central Asia's vast energy supplies and new markets for military products.

More details at Daily Kos.