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Osama bin Laden's forces retreat from Tora Bora caves.

US planes have marked the third month since the September 11 attacks on the United States by pounding the mountain bases of Osama bin Laden, the accused mastermind of the strikes.

Western correspondents now confirm that foreign fighters for bin Laden's al-Qaeda force have been driven out of a massive cave complex in the Tora Bora region.

Heavy bombing and precision guided weapons have collapsed cave entrances, sealing many inside.

Local Afghan commanders say the foreign fighters are now gathering on a mountain top, but their escape is blocked on three sides.

The retreat of the al Quida fighters was caused in part by the psychological effect of the huge daisy cutter" bomb, one of the largest conventional bombs in the US arsenal.

Pentagon spokesman, Rear Admiral John Stufflebeem explains it was used because of the geography of the location.

There is a psychological effect of having ammunition, 15-thousand pounds of explosive capability that's brought into a very narrowly defined area. This cave complex is literally on the shear walls of a valley and therefore the reverberation effect that goes up in those caves should have some kind of negative effect.

12/12/01 4:36:28 | ABC Radio Australia News

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