U.S. says Taliban force at Tora Bora

GHAZNI, AFGHANISTAN —  The U.S. military received “credible reporting” of a sizable Taliban force at Tora Bora in eastern Afghanistan before launching the latest offensive there, a top American general said Thursday.

Army Lt. Gen. Carter F. Ham, director for operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said there was no indication of Al Qaeda fighters, contrary to U.S. officials’ reports Wednesday.

Speaking in Washington, he said the number of militants killed or captured so far in the operation by coalition and Afghan troops was “in the teens.”

He said he was not aware of any high-value Taliban targets being found in the area.

Ham added that the offensive had been hampered by bad weather, so troops were still moving into position in the remote mountainous area, which was heavily bombarded in late 2001 as U.S. troops hunted Osama bin Laden and his associates after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Meanwhile, Taliban militants held a second round of face-to-face talks with South Korean officials Thursday in Ghazni on the fate of 19 captive church volunteers.

Purported Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi said the Korean delegation told militant negotiators that they don’t have the power to free Taliban prisoners held by Afghan authorities. South Korean officials were not immediately available for comment.