TWO women among the 23 South Koreans kidnapped by the Taliban in mid-July were freed yesterday on a rural Afghan roadside and then driven to a US base, the first significant breakthrough in a hostage drama that is more than three weeks old.

US bombers are attacking al-Qaida's Tora Bora cave complex as the hunt for Osama bin Laden is stepped up.

United States warplanes have been attacking the Tora Bora cave complex in eastern Afghanistan.