Hundreds of Afghan soldiers today began a huge hunt for fleeing members of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network in eastern Nangarhar province, the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) said.
Some 800 men from the eastern region's shura, or council, are involved in the extensive "clean-up operation" in Chapparhar area south of the provincial capital Jalalabad, the report said.
The council, which administers the province, believes al-Qaeda fighters who fled the US bombing of the mountainous Tora Bora region last month are hiding in Chapparhar, the news agency said.
Quoting witnesses, it said the searching soldiers were facing no resistance.
Chapparhar sits between Tora Bora and Jalalabad and the authorities suspect many Arab fighters took refuge in the area. The eastern council is also looking for people who fired four rockets on Jalalabad a few days ago, AIPsaid..
AFP