Milawa Mountains, Afghanistan, Dec 11, 2001 (EFE via COMTEX) -- Al Qaeda forces trapped by U.S.-backed Afghan tribesmen in the Tora Bora region agreed Tuesday to surrender their weapons and give themselves up on Wednesday, a tribal chief told reporters.
Commander Hajji Zaman told EFE that the fighters loyal to alleged terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden would come down from their mountain bunkers Wednesday at 8 a.m. (0330 GMT) in small groups, hand over the weapons and be taken into custody by the tribes.
Zaman declined to specifically say if bin Laden was still with his forces in their cave and tunnel complex in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan but indicated that he was not.
The commander added that the prisoners would be turned over to the United Nations and not the U.S. military. He did not clarify if that was one of the conditions of the surrender agreement.
Following heavy fighting throughout the morning, the tribal leaders declared a cease fire and opened surrender negotiations with the Al Qaeda via radio.
At first, the Al Qaeda chiefs requested a three-day period to study their surrender, but when that was refused they asked if they could give their answer by 8 a.m. local time on Wednesday.
However, that request was also turned down by the tribal leaders whose forces began their offensive after U.S. warplanes softened up the Al Qaeda with intensive air strikes.
In face-to-face talks with their enemy, the Al Qaeda fighters finally agreed to give up on Wednesday.
Tribal leader Hazrat Ali told reporters from his front line position: "I'm sure that bin Laden will be found there, he was seen yesterday."
But another commander, Awal Gul, said that the Al Qaeda leader may have fled to southern Afghanistan. "I don't think he is still here," he said. "It is too small of an area and he could be captured."
Gul told reporters that the Al Qaeda forces, most of whom are believed to be Arabs, Pakistanis, Chechens and other foreigners, were trapped in an area measuring a scant one square kilometer (half a mile) and said the families belonging to bin Laden's men came down from the mountain earlier in the day.
They were allowed through the front line by the tribesmen, he added.
The tribal chiefs said earlier they had asked the U.S. military to suspend their bombing runs so they could attack the Al Qaeda's tunnel and cave complex.
"We don't need them now and can always ask for renewed air attacks if it's necessary," Ali said.
Near the tribal forces' front line the bodies of three Al Qaeda fighters could be seen. Two had been killed by a grenade or mortar blast and the third had been machine gunned.
Tribal sources said they they killed at least four Al Qaeda troops and, while losing three of their own in the morning's fighting.
The chiefs declined to confirm reports that U.S. special forces commandos had arrived in the area on Monday and taken part in the fighting.
The U.S.-backed tribal forces began their offensive against Al Queda following the fall last week of the southern city of Kandahar, the last redoubt of the Taliban regime which sheltered bin Ladin and governed Afghanistan for five years.
The United States and Britain began their air strikes on the Taliban and Al Qaeda on Oct. 7 after the Taliban refused to hand over bin Laden who U.S. officials blame for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington.
wm/bj
http://www.efe.es
Copyright (c) 2001. Agencia EFE S.A.