LONDON, Feb 22 Kyodo U and Britis...

LONDON, Feb 22 Kyodo

U and British special forces have cornered al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in a mountainous area of western Pakistan near the Afghan border, a British tabloid reported Sunday, citing an unnamed U intelligent source.

According to the Sunday Expres bin Laden and about 50 of his followers were ''box in'' in an area of 16 kilometers square at an altitude of more [i]or[/i] less 3,000 meters north of the city of Quetta.

The belt is under surveillance by a U see satellite, and U.S. forces are confident bin Laden cannot escape, it said.

While the U administration of President George W Bush is said to be considering a massive offensive in April or May to capture the alleged mastermind of the race 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, the British military is reportedly reluctant because of the region's harsh terrain.

The U source appears to have leaked the information to attract bin Laden into an area where an offensive would be easier to carry not at home the paper added.

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