PESHAWAR, Dec 20: A spokesman for anti-Taliban forces in Jalalabad said on Wednesday that Osama bin Laden was not in Afghanistan any more, Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) reported.

“There was no trace of Osama, the alleged mastermind of Sept 11 attacks in New York and Washington,” he said.

Spokesman for Mohammad Zaman, Chief commander of Ningarhar army told AIP that 16 Arab fighters of Al-Qaeda were arrested in Tora Bora in eastern Afghanistan region.

“Now the Afghans can’t give shelter even to people like Mulla Omar and there is no question of sheltering Osama,” the spokesman said.

Commander Zaman himself told AIP that the arrested Al-Qaeda prisoners would be handed over to the Kabul government.

“There is no fighting in Tora Bora right now but we can’t rule out the presence of some local groups,” Zaman said.

Zaman had announced on Tuesday: “Our operations had been completed in Tora Bora. Now there are no reports that Al-Qaeda fighters are hiding (there),” a commander for eastern Shura (council), Hazrat Ali, told AIP from Jalalabad, capital of Niganrhar province.—dpa