Covert teams sent in: report

By STAFF REPORTERS and AGENCIES

Covert American troops have been operating for two weeks in Afghanistan looking for Osama bin Laden, say unconfirmed reports from Pakistan.

The USA Today newspaper, quoting Pakistani news sources and American officials, said the special operations forces had not been able to find the man suspected of masterminding the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US.

The Pentagon would not comment on the reports, but the paper said the teams of up to five US commandos had been told to capture bin Laden, kill him or pin him down until American air strikes could be launched.

The reports come against a backdrop of continued military and diplomatic manoeuvres by America and its allies to isolate the Taleban regime, and the increasingly desperate plight of up to 2 million refugees desperate to flee the country before any military action.

A team of senior Islamic clerics, revered by the Taleban, has flown to the Afghan city of Kandahar to try to persuade the movement's leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, to surrender bin Laden.

A senior Taleban official said he believed an edict had been delivered asking bin Laden to leave the country voluntarily.

Despite calls by the Taleban for their people to remain in cities and towns, the United Nations says the country is facing the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Up to 7.5 million people will face starvation if the winter is a harsh one.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan has asked for $584 million in aid.

The list of those missing in the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York is now 5960, a slight fall after some people believed lost in the disaster turned up elsewhere.

In an effort to reassure jittery Americans that it is safe to fly, US President George W. Bush has announced plans to deploy National Guard troops at US airports, put more armed marshals on planes and strengthen cockpit doors.

Ripples from the terror attacks spread to Australia yesterday with the postponement of next week's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) in Brisbane.

International action against terrorists was to have been a central item on the agenda for Commonwealth leaders, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has dispatched powerful strike forces to the Gulf.

The decision to postpone Chogm, possibly until early next year, follows a last-minute decision to withdraw by Mr Blair and Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien.

Yesterday's announcement has also led to the postponement of the Queen's visit to New Zealand and Australia.

A decision has yet to be made on whether the Commonwealth business forum, which is scheduled to start in Melbourne on Tuesday, will go ahead.

The New Zealand Insurance Council has warned businesses to expect premiums to rise in the wake of the attacks, with some more than doubling.

Map: Opposing forces in the war against terror

Afghanistan facts and links