The White House said this morning it was studying reports that the Taliban movement had abandoned the Afghan capital, Kabul, and described the situation as "very fluid".
"We've seen the reports and we are evaluating them. At this point, the situation on the ground is very fluid," said spokesman for the White House National Security Council Mr Sean McCormack.
Secretary of the Army Mr Thomas White received reports Taliban forces were fleeing Kabul as he was being interviewed on CNN. "It's great news," Mr White said. "It means the initial phase of the campaign is going well".
"We should remember that the strategic objective is the destruction of bin Laden, the network of bin Laden in the country and the Taliban government that supported him," Mr White said. "So if he's headed west, that's where we're headed as well".