Agence France Presse  --  Arab news

WASHINGTON, 26 February 2004 — Wanted Al-Qaeda terror network chief Osama Bin Laden and his top aide, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, have moved out of Pakistan and are believed to have crossed the mountainous border back into Afghanistan, ABC News reported.

Citing unnamed US officials, the network said they believed the two Al-Qaeda leaders have slipped across the mountainous border and re-entered Afghanistan, the network said in a statement. Al-Zawahiri reportedly resurfaced Tuesday in two taped messages on Arabic television stations.

According to a Taleban statement released the previous day, Zawahiri is in Afghanistan where he is planning anti-American operations.

The network said Bin Laden and Al-Zawahiri had fled to Afghanistan after Pakistan Army increased pressure on regional tribal leaders to reveal the whereabouts of the two fugitives, who are also sought by Washington.

The report added that the homes of suspected Al-Qaeda supporters in the border area had been set on fire amid numerous arrests.