B-52 bombers and other US warplanes pounded Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda fighters around the clock today after they failed to meet a deadline to surrender or die.
Even after the deadline expired at 8 am (03:30 Irish Time), US-backed Afghan militiamen besieging the fighters made a second attempt to persuade them to quit up their eastern mountain stronghold. It failed.
The militias are now readying for renewed war, a spokesman said.
"We are preparing for war as the talks have failed. The al-Qaeda fighters firmly refused to surrender before the Nangarhar provincial administration," said Mr Amin, spokesman for local militia commander Mr Hazrat Ali.
"The al-Qaeda fighters said they would only surrender in the presence of United Nations representatives and diplomats from their respective countries," Mr Amin said.
"Because they are not laying down their arms our forces are now preparing to launch a ground attack, probably early tomorrow morning."
Mr Amin said the force numbered around 1,000 Arabs and other foreigners. They have already been battered for 10 days by air and ground assaults, including an attack by one of the most powerful conventional bombs.
Just 50 minutes after the deadline had passed, a B-52 heavy bomber carried out the first of two raids.
Around midday, another B-52 appeared in the skies over these rugged mountains south of the city of Jalalabad and staged at least two attacks on al-Qaeda positions.
At 7 p.m. at least one warplane dropped two large bombs after darkness had fallen. The flashes lit up the mountain peaks.
AFP