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Anti-Taliban forces prepare for renewed assault in Tora Bora

Anti-Taliban forces in Afghanistan are preparing for a renewed assault on the underground cave complex in the eastern Tora Bora region.

It comes as an Afghan militia commander claims that most of the Tora Bora mountain complex has been captured, forcing Osama bin Laden's fighters to flee to higher positions.

The retreat coincides with the seventh day of a fierce offensive by U-S warplanes and the militiamen near the eastern city of Jalalabad, where bin Laden is believed to have taken refuge along with hundreds of al-Qaeda members.

From Kabul, Eric Campbell reports:

"Local militias say they're closing in on the remnants of Osama bin Laden's fighters and now have them in range of their tanks. B-52 bombers have been pounding the mountainous region, but bin Laden's mainly foreign fighters thought to number as many as one-thousand, are still putting up strong resistance. In the south of Afghanistan, U-S marines have set up a forward staging post outside Kandahar to try to block Taliban leaders fleeing the city. Kabul has been rife with rumours that the Taliban amir, Mullah Omar, has already been captured by tribal forces. But, there has still been no confirmed sighting of Omar or bin Laden."

11/12/01 10:13:33 | ABC Radio Australia News

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