US warplanes attack vehicle convoy in Afghanistan

US warplanes have attacked a vehicle convoy in the Tora Bora region of eastern Afghanistan which officials believe was carrying senior Taliban and al-Qaida leaders.

A US spokesman said a 'substantial' number of people were killed in the attack.

The bombing marks the first time in three days that US warplanes have launched attacks in Afghanistan.

The strike occurred near a village in the south-west of the Tora Bora region, which was recently

abandoned by alleged al-Qaida fighters following weeks of US bomb attacks.

The Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press later reported that 65 Afghan tribal leaders were killed in the attack.

It said the men were innocent elders on their way to the capital, Kabul, for the installation of the country’s new interim government tomorrow.