US blitz on caves 'relentless'

14 Dec, 2001 08:45 AM3 mins to read

TORA BORA - The United States kept up its relentless assault on the eastern Afghanistan village of Tora Bora yesterday as a report said Osama bin Laden was surrounded.

"The United States has reason to believe that Osama bin Laden is surrounded by opposition forces and US forces in a cave complex in Tora Bora," CNN reported, citing a senior US military official.

US bombers blitzed hills and valleys near Tora Bora and the Afghan Islamic Press said US special forces had landed overnight and US helicopters had increased flights between Tora Bora and Jalalabad.

As snow fell in Kabul, Prime Minister-designate Hamid Karzai won assurances from Afghan leaders of a peaceful transition of power but a bin Laden aide promised to fight on.

"The real war has now started and we are now waging attack and retreat operations. It will be a long one. We will exact a high toll on the Americans and suicide attacks will be one of our effective methods," an Arabic magazine quoted Ayman al-Zawahri, the senior aide, as saying.

"We do not hide in caves and do not run away from the confrontation. Suicide is our desire and our victory," he told the London-based al-Majallah magazine.

Surrender talks fell apart on Thursday and anti-Taleban fighters announced a new deadline which passed without any sign of guerrillas coming down from the hills.

"I heard an al Qaeda fighter say on the radio they don't want to surrender," said Haji Atiqullah, a spokesman for anti-Taleban commander Haji Zahir. "They said, 'We want martyrdom, we will succeed.' They won't accept ... I tried to talk to them yesterday but they did not want to."

US Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld said only unconditional surrender was on the table. "This is not a drill where we're making deals," he said.

In Kabul, moves to assemble an internationally backed Afghan Government gathered pace.

Karzai met ex-President Burhanuddin Rabbani and other leaders in the presidential palace. He had flown in from Kandahar, the former Taleban stronghold whose surrender he had overseen, and gunmen took to the streets after he left, firing into the air and worrying residents.

Tribal factions have been jockeying for power in the city.

Rabbani, sidelined by last week's Bonn accord on a post-Taleban power sharing deal, has accused foreign powers of imposing a government on Afghanistan. But he has also said he fully supports the choice of Karzai to head a new interim government which is due to come to power next weekend.

Even when Karzai takes power, the US campaign will remain incomplete unless bin Laden is captured or killed.

Media reports generated confusion over the whereabouts of the guerrilla chief, who has a $US25 million ($59.8 million) bounty on his head.

Karzai insisted that bin Laden's former host, the now fugitive Taleban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, should be tried.

"He's a criminal," he said. "Look at the years of oppression, lack of economic activity, the killing, the murder, the destruction of property, destruction of values."

Rumsfeld announced that Washington soon would offer hefty rewards for Omar and other senior Taleban fugitives. "Think 10" million, he replied with a smile when asked if the reward for Omar would be as high as the $25 million for bin Laden.

Key United Nations Security Council members yesterday neared agreement on a resolution authorising a multinational force in Afghanistan but adoption was awaiting a go-ahead from Britain, which will lead the operation.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair wants to make sure Afghans approve the makeup of the force.

- REUTERS

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