KABUL, Dec 28: Afghanistan’s defence minister said on Friday Osama bin Laden had probably left his country for Peshawar.

“After fleeing from Tora Bora there is a strong probability that Osama is in Peshawar. Osama is out of our control. To a large extent it depends on Pakistan. America can pursue him with the help of the Pakistani government,” Fahim said while talking to reporters.

He said the area around the eastern city of Jalalabad had been completely cleared of resistance by the Taliban and the Al Qaeda network, but said there were still some areas along the Pakistan border which were not yet cleared.

“If there are assurances (that those areas are clear) then there is no need for bombing,” he said.—Reuters