Taliban withdrawal from Kandahar reported

Reports from Pakistan say Afghanistan's Taliban militia has withdrawn from the southern city of Kandahar, which is regarded as its stronghold. The Afghan Islamic Press news agency said the Taliban supreme leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, has handed the city over to two former Mujahideen commanders.

United States warplanes have been concentrating their attacks today on Kandahar. Reports say that Taliban's foreign ministry building and a mosque were destroyed in the bombing. Some eleven people are reported to have been killed.

The US Defence Department has said the Taliban has lost control of two thirds of the country, but added that it did not believe that the Taliban was leaving Kandahar.

Earlier today, the Northern Alliance said that it was not notified of the arrival of British troops in Afghanistan. More than 100 British soldiers have set up a base at Bagram Airport near the Afghan capital, Kabul, to prepare for humanitarian operations.

A spokesman for the Northern Alliance said that their arrival was not co-ordinated and that maybe the troops would go back. However, he did not elaborate.

Iran Radio has reported that Osama bin Laden has fled Afghanistan to Pakistan. The station, quoting an informed source, said that bin Laden had probably fled for his life across the border near Tirah, southwest of Peshawar.

In another development, the Northern Alliance is continuing efforts to oust the Taliban from their remaining strongholds. It has been reported that the Northern Alliance captured a group of senior Taliban officials during their advance.

American officials have said that they hoped the capture could lead to what they called, "an intelligence dividend", in the assault against bin Laden and the al-Qaeda network.