A suicide bomber blew himself up today in an eastern Afghan city, killing six civilians and wounding 40 others, officials said, while a blast in a nearby market killed a shopkeeper.

A US soldier and four Afghan police officers were killed in separate rebel attacks, while at least two Afghan civilians were injured by gunfire following the bombing of an American patrol in the east of the country, American and Afghan officials said today.

As Taliban defences around Kabul crumbled under the fury of American bombs, the man responsible for it all - Osama bin Laden - was far away in the safety of this mountain fortress.

An explosion at a construction company that killed 25 people and destroyed dozens of homes was today believed to be the work of al Qaida terrorists.

The future of the British-led multinational security force in Afghanistan was unclear today as Afghan leaders were divided about how long it should remain in the war-ravaged nation.

Afghan leaders were divided today over how long the British-led multinational security force should remain in the war-ravaged nation.

The Pentagon says attacks claimed to have killed scores of civilians in Afghanistan, "Just did not happen."