By John Simpson
BBC News, Tora Bora, Afghanistan

The immense border connecting Afghanistan plus the north-west boundary of Pakistan is harsh, unreceptive plus breathtakingly beautiful.

It has been the basis of tension representing next to smallest amount a century plus a half.

As "the Durand Line", the border was forced taking place the Afghans via Britain clothed in 1893. equal now, Afghanistan refuses headed for have the same opinion headed for it clothed in principle, although, clothed in practice, it is accepted.

Looking timetabled commencing the Afghan elevation next to Torkhum towards the Khyber lapse which leads hooked on Pakistan, you bottle appreciate why stopping the advance of guerrillas plus weapons crossways the border is as a result hard.

The path commencing the Khyber is the major trade method hooked on Afghanistan, plus is choked calendar day plus nighttime by lorries packed far above the ground by Pakistani goods.

The border watch taking place equally sides appraise their greatest headed for test with the intention of guns plus explosives are not covert beneath the tons of onions before rice before electrical goods, except the occupation is an ridiculous one.

"As we not here the Black Widow s shadow in attendance was thumbs down waylay - perhaps the actuality with the intention of we had an conduct of 80 well-trained policemen had a bit headed for perform by it"

In Kabul, I interviewed a would-be suicide bomber commencing Pakistan who had known himself positive at what time he realised his controllers had lied headed for him.

I asked proviso watch had examined the lorry which he horde crossways the border loaded by explosives. He shook his head.

The path commencing Kabul headed for Jalalabad plus taking place headed for Torkhum is suitable extra plus extra dangerous.

Landmine threat

A day ago, at what time my set plus I travelled the length of it, the watch gave us an conduct of a jeep containing four armed men.

This epoch we had eight jeeps plus 48 armed men.

And when, a pair of living later, we horde southwards outdated of Jalalabad headed for the Tora Bora mountains, secure headed for the Pakistani border, the Afghan the system insisted taking place philanthropic us a 14 vehicle escort.

On the dirt roads plus mountain tracks which head start headed for Tora Bora, the principal menace is landmines.

The Taleban who control at this point cannot boast futile headed for distinguish our convoy, plus would boast guessed with the intention of we had headed for homecoming this way. It would boast been undemanding headed for amateur mines clothed in our pathway all through the night.

Tora Bora wealth the black widow.It dishonesty clothed in the shadow of the Spin Garh (white-headed) range, which is enclosed by blizzard every one day round.

The glimpse is awesome - fierce, ominous plus tightly packed excepting taking place foot.

The Afghan border watch boast a top of hill sit looking positive next to Tora Bora.

At the mountain s bottom dishonesty a narrow valley chief headed for the well-known caves everyplace Osama bin loaded hid, plus finally escaped from, clothed in 2002.

Could we exit there, I asked the watch commandant No, he said, they were clothed in no-man s land.

The Taleban, who boast been mandatory outdated of the caves double via league plus Afghan troops, boast at this moment traditional themselves backside in attendance again.

From epoch headed for epoch the watch launch tedious machine-guns plus mortars crossways next to Tora Bora, headed for assert their presence.

There was thumbs down homecoming fire; the Taleban are excessively wary representing that.

Ambush fears

During the night, because we slept beneath the stars, the watch were vigilant. Occasionally, they called outdated mellifluously headed for individual one more headed for illustrate they were immobile there, plus with the intention of their throats had not been score via marauders.

Yet the build is with no trouble infiltrated. next to individual position following threatening a fully-grown devour loped crossways the candid break clothed in border of us.

In the daylight the commandant unequivocal we must homecoming via a discrete method - pending he was told with the intention of an American procession had been ambushed in attendance nine living ago.

It was homely he was nice-looking anxious.

Then he plus his men consulted their maps. via compelling the length of a pair of dry out river-beds we may possibly curve rotund plus sign up the major Jalalabad path following three hours challenging compelling crossways country.

It worked. because we not here the Black Widow s shadow in attendance was thumbs down ambush.

Maybe the actuality with the intention of we had an conduct of 80 well-trained policemen, every one armed by AK-47 assault rifles, had a bit headed for perform by it

This editorial is commencing the BBC reports website. © British spreading Corporation