Osama bin Laden is in hiding in Pakistan under the protection of supporters of a radical Islamic leader who helped to create the fundamentalist Taliban, Afghanistan's Defence Ministry spokesman said today.
"Osama himself is under the protection of Maulana Fazalur Rehman in Pakistan, but we don't know for sure in which part of it," Mr Mohamad Habeel said.
"He lives in areas which are under the influence and control of Fazalur Rehman supporters. I cannot say from which sources we have received this information," he said.
"Bin Laden and his men are no longer here (in Afghanistan)," he added.
Rehman, who is under house arrest, is head of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam party, a long time supporter of bin Laden, head of the al Qaeda network that is blamed for the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington.
Mr Habeel said bin Laden's support in Afghanistan had collapsed completely.
"His supporters have no presence... any more. There may be individuals here who have hidden, but altogether we can say that his resistance is over. His last remaining forces have fled to areas along the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan," he said.
