Pacha Khan Zadran, their main rival, a fellow anti-Taliban leader who had been rewarded with a security appointment in Paktia, is a member of the majority group, the Pashtun.

Ahmad Shah Massoud remained the only major anti-Taliban leader inside Afghanistan who was able to defend vast parts of his territory against the Taliban.

One anti-Taliban leader, Abdul Haq, was recently captured and killed by the Taliban.

But he said anti-Taliban leaders had given assurances that they would do everything in their power to prevent Al Qaeda or Taliban officials from escaping.

April 5 A suicide attack at a market in Lower Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa killed seven people including a local anti-Taliban leader and his son.

Zahir Qadir and two other anti-Taliban leaders were freed from a Taliban prison in 1999 by Abdul Razzaq Hekmati and his son.

As for Mr. bin Laden, it is not known if he is burrowed within the mountain walls, though anti-Taliban leaders say he was spotted in the area last week.

An anti-Taliban leader, Hamid Karzai, was reported to have battled with Taliban forces in a central Afghan province called Uruzgan this week.

The surrender, reported by anti-Taliban leaders entering the city, appeared to complete the collapse of the radical Islamic group that had ruled Afghanistan.

Some anti-Taliban leaders argue that their presence would deter any possible defectors from fighting side by side with non-Muslims.