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Al-Qaeda attacked at Tora Bora
Local Afghan militia backed by tanks and a US B-52 bomber attacked positions held by Osama bin Laden`s Al-Qaeda fighters Wednesday at the Tora Bora cave complex in eastern Afghanistan.
Local Afghan militia backed by tanks and a US B-52 bomber attacked positions held by Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda fighters Wednesday at the Tora Bora cave complex in eastern Afghanistan.
The attack, witnessed by an AFP correspondent, came as local commanders announced a major offensive against the Al-Qaeda and US warplanes continued to pound the area relentlessly in the hunt for the world's most wanted man.
A local commander, Sohrab Khan, said his forces controlled half of the mountainous region around Tora Bora and fighting with the Al-Qaeda forces was continuing. From a hillside in the district of Agam, three Soviet-made T-55 tanks were seen shelling Al-Qaeda positions in the snow-capped mountains about two kilometers away.
Lower down, Khan's forces exchanged artillery fire with the foreign fighters of the Al-Qaeda.
A B-52 bomber made several runs over the area, dropping two bombs on Al-Qaeda positions on the mountainside which sent huge plumes of smoke into the clear skies.
Khan gave no indication of casualties in his ranks or among the Al-Qaeda.
A local commander said by radio that his troops had captured one of the tanks belonging to bin Laden's forces. Khan said the Al-Qaeda also had rocket launchers, and small-and large-caliber mortars. Khan was unable to say whether bin Laden, wanted for the September 11 terror attacks in the United States, was in the remote Tora Bora area south of Jalalabad.
Bureau Report
A local commander, Sohrab Khan, said his forces controlled half of the mountainous region around Tora Bora and fighting with the Al-Qaeda forces was continuing. From a hillside in the district of Agam, three Soviet-made T-55 tanks were seen shelling Al-Qaeda positions in the snow-capped mountains about two kilometers away.
Lower down, Khan's forces exchanged artillery fire with the foreign fighters of the Al-Qaeda.
A B-52 bomber made several runs over the area, dropping two bombs on Al-Qaeda positions on the mountainside which sent huge plumes of smoke into the clear skies.
Khan gave no indication of casualties in his ranks or among the Al-Qaeda.
A local commander said by radio that his troops had captured one of the tanks belonging to bin Laden's forces. Khan said the Al-Qaeda also had rocket launchers, and small-and large-caliber mortars. Khan was unable to say whether bin Laden, wanted for the September 11 terror attacks in the United States, was in the remote Tora Bora area south of Jalalabad.
Bureau Report