Bin Laden seen near Pakistan border - reports

The Pentagon is investigating claims by Afghans that they have seen terror chief Osama bin Laden, it was revealed today.

US intelligence officers are probing claims that the Saudi fugitive has been seen in Afghanistan, close to the Pakistani border, CNN reported.

The claims of sightings are the most concrete evidence yet gathered that bin Laden may still be in the remote mountains of south-east Afghanistan.

A senior defence official told CNN there had been reports from locals that bin Laden had crossed the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan repeatedly in recent weeks.

US commanders are also looking into possible regroupings of up to 2,000 al-Qaida fighters in pockets of up to 200 close to the Pakistani border.

The emergence of new pockets of resistance comes despite Operation Anaconda, in which up to thousands of US troops aided by local Afghan allies and French, Norwegian, Canadian and German special forces pounded caves in the Shah-i-Khot where up to 1,000 al-Qaida and Taliban troops were believed to be positioned.

US officials from President George W Bush down have repeatedly refused to rule out the possibility that bin Laden is still alive and operating in Afghanistan.

Earlier this week Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced the US would help train Afghanistan’s new army and would put the emphasis on instructing new troops in border patrols.

The remote and mountainous border between Afghanistan and Pakistan is extremely porous and despite US pressure on Pakistan to step up patrols, intelligence officials believe it continues to be easily crossed by locals and Taliban and al-Qaida fighters.