US detain five prisoners in Afghanistan

Five prisoners from the war in Afghanistan are in US custody.

The captives have been taken to the USS Peleliu, a Navy helicopter assault ship in the region. The Pentagon has not identified the detainees.

But David Hicks, a 26-year-old Australian captured while fighting with the Taliban, has been handed over to US forces and flown to the ship, the Australian government said.

Before the weekend, the only known person in US hands was John Walker, a 20-year-old American found with Taliban forces last month.

Rumsfeld said he had heard of 30 or 31 prisoners in custody around Tora Bora as of Sunday night, but that many of their identities remain unclear. He says it's impossible to say definitively whether there are any high-ranking leaders.

The Pentagon says American forces in the eastern region are helping search for fleeing al-Qaida fighters.

Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the search is on for more amid fighting in Tora Bora, where Afghan fighters say they have taken over the last al-Qaida stronghold. Rumsfeld says there are still people searching the area, in caves and tunnels, looking for al-Qaida fighters.

At the Pentagon, Rear Admiral John Stufflebeem said there is sporadic firing from caves where remnants of the al-Qaida force is apparently holding out.

"There are still isolated pockets of al-Qaida fighting in this area, so we're not done yet," said Stufflebeem, deputy director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

He said there is still no word on the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden.