Al-Qaeda Fighters to Surrender Today

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, December 12, 2001

Al-Qaeda Fighters to Surrender Today

Al-Qaeda fighters loyal to Osama bin Laden agreed on Tuesday to surrender to US-backed Afghan militiamen who have them surrounded on the rugged summits of eastern Afghanistan, a local commander said.

Al-Qaeda fighters loyal to Osama bin Laden agreed on Tuesday to surrender to US-backed Afghan militiamen who have them surrounded on the rugged summits of eastern Afghanistan, a local commander said.

The surrender, announced by Haji Mohammad Zaman, one of three Afghan commanders engaged in a furious eight-day battle against the last al-Qaeda stronghold of Tora Bora, came three months to the day after the September 11 terror attacks that the United States blames on bin Laden and his organisation. "It's finished," Zaman told journalists. "They told us: 'We don't want to fight with you, we surrender'." Zaman said he told al-Qaeda fighters they would be handed over to the "international community" for trial.

Zaman said the mostly foreign al-Qaeda fighters had agreed to come down at 8:00 am (0330 GMT) Wednesday. The commander, who has been insisting for days that bin Laden is also holed up with the last of his fighters in the forbidding White Mountain range, acknowledged that he was no longer sure. "Until today I was sure he was here," he said. "Now I don't know exactly."

Zaman said he did not discuss bin Laden with the al-Qaeda fighters when he discussed their surrender, which he said was unconditional. "They must come down, get out from the holes and the caves, they must hand over their weapons," he said.

US Says It Has No Confirmation

However, the United States said it has no confirmation that al-Qaeda forces are negotiating a surrender with local Afghan commanders. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Richard Myers told a Pentagon briefing: "We have no confirmation of this."

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