Fighters loyal to Osama bin Laden around Tora Bora mountain in eastern Afghanistan have surrendered to militia forces, a local tribal commander said today.
There was no report on the whereabouts of bin Laden.
Mr Haji Mohammad Zaman, one of the three leaders of local groups hostile to bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, told journalists of the surrender following several hours of fierce fighting around the mountain.
It was not immediately clear how many out of the al-Qaeda forces on the mountain range had surrendered.
Across the Afghan border in Pakistan, Pakistani soldiers have been deployed on mountains south of Tora Bora to stop al-Qaeda fighters from crossing the White Mountains.
In southern Afghanistan, US marines stepped up their hunt for fleeing Taliban fighters by widening their operations near the city of Kandahar.