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Bin Laden possibly heard speaking via radio

Osama bin Laden

(CNN) -- The United States is "reasonably certain" that one of the voices they have have been monitoring on battlefield radios in the Tora Bora region of Afghanistan is the voice of Osama bin Laden, U.S. officials tell CNN.

Officials would not specify what kind of radio transmission U.S. forces had detected or how they were sure it was bin Laden's voice. But an official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was a short-range transmission, indicating that bin Laden was in Tora Bora in the past week, Reuters reports.

Meanwhile, Eastern Alliance fighters, aided by U.S. airstrikes, continue to fight al Qaeda members holed up in the caves and tunnels of the rugged mountain region. U.S. planes and the reverberating rumble of their bombs were a steady reminder that the war was not over.

On lower ground, CNN's Ben Wedeman said he had heard talk of a possible surrender of some al Qaeda fighters, but had seen no indication that such an event might be imminent.

Wedeman, who has twice spoken with al Qaeda members by radio, was unable to contact them on Saturday, but he reported that overheard radio conversations indicated al Qaeda was low on ammunition.

"They sound stressed, I'll tell you," Wedeman said. "They don't sound like they're having a good time." (Full story)

VIDEO Watch entire Osama bin Laden videotape, released by the Pentagon on Thursday (December 13) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Nic Robertson says Alliance forces are circling in on al Qaeda members in the Tora Bora area (December 15) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Jim Clancy walks through the cacophony of Kabul, with its markets, bustling streets and contradictions (December 15) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     QUICKVOTE Does the U.S. have Osama bin Laden trapped? Yes No View Results    CNN.COM SPECIAL REPORT  CNN NewsPass Video  Agencies reportedly got hijack tips in 1998  MORE STORIES Intelligence intercept led to Buffalo suspects Report cites warnings before 9/11  EXTRA INFORMATION Timeline: Who Knew What and When? Interactive: Terror Investigation Terror Warnings System Most wanted terrorists What looks suspicious? In-Depth: America Remembers In-Depth: Terror on Tape In-Depth: How prepared is your city?  RESOURCES On the Scene: Barbara Starr: Al Qaeda hunt expands? On the Scene: Peter Bergen: Getting al Qaeda to talk

Latest developments

• The Observer, a British newspaper, reported Sunday that "terrorists linked to Osama bin Laden have drawn up plans for a devastating bomb attack" on London's financial district. The report is based on the discovery of an 80-page document in Kandahar containing step-by-step instructions on how to carry out the attack. (Full story)

• Eastern Alliance fighters, aided by U.S. special operations troops and air power, have contained al Qaeda fighters in two valleys near Tora Bora, cutting off their access to supplies of food, water and ammunition. A possible escape route to Pakistan is blocked by thousands of Pakistani troops massed along the nearby border.

• The U.S. State Department's current representative to Afghan opposition groups, James Dobbins, will arrive in Kabul on Sunday to reopen the long-vacant U.S. Embassy. Dobbins will help run what is termed a "liaison office" between the United States and the interim government, which is scheduled to take office December 22. (Full story)

• Recovery workers brought down the last standing fragment of the World Trade Center's north tower on Saturday. For months, the 50-foot tall steel facade had been one of the most visible reminders of the September 11 terrorist attacks. (Full story)

• A majority of Americans support giving government agents the power to assassinate terrorists despite a U.S. policy forbidding such actions, according to a Newsweek poll released Saturday. But only 28 percent of respondents said such targeted killings would decrease the likelihood of future terrorist attacks. (Full story)

• U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, in the midst of a brief tour of central Asia and eastern Europe, has offered three former Soviet republics closer U.S. military ties in return for help fighting terrorism in Afghanistan and elsewhere. (Full story)

• Lt. Col. Brian Birdwell, 40 yards away from where American Airlines flight 77 slammed into the Pentagon on September 11, has returned home from the hospital following months of intensive therapy. After being knocked down from the blast and suffering burns to more than half his body, the Army officer says he is now leaning on his faith and hoping to regain some normalcy in his life. (Full story)

• A Delta Airlines concourse at Baltimore-Washington International Airport was closed Saturday due to a security breach. A question over whether a passenger had been properly screened led officials to evacuate Concourse C for about 30 minutes.

• President Bush and the Democratic leadership used their weekly radio addresses to spar over a proposed economic stimulus bill, each touting a different vision of what they say is needed to repair economic damage from the September 11 attacks. (Full story)

• The estimate of the number of dead in the September 11 World Trade Center attacks edged downward Friday, falling to 3,018, the Office of Emergency Management in New York said. Officials initially believed the attacks had killed as many as 6,500 people, but have decreased that estimate because, in part, of duplicate reports of people missing.