The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and New York Timeseach lead with al-Qaida's rout/retreat from its mountain lair. No one's exactly sure what's going on with the al-Qaida troops, but the papers say that hundreds of them, perhaps a few thousand, have fled into Pakistan. The NYT says that Afghan commanders estimated that 200 al-Qaida troops were killed yesterday. But the Post says there was only "sporadic fighting" yesterday and that "most of the force fled." The Post, also citing an Afghan commander, says about 700 al-Qaida soldiers were originally on the mountain, and about 500 or more have escaped. (The NYT says around 2,000 al-Qaida troops are on the lam.) The Wall Street Journaltops its worldwide newsbox with Yasser Arafat's televised speech yesterday in which he promised to "hunt down" Palestinian terrorists and demanded that Palestinians stop all attacks on Israel.

"They've escaped into the snowy mountains," lamented Hazrat Ali, a local militia head, who refused to be a pessimist. "They have nothing to eat, so how can they survive?"

The NYT's lead sentence announces, "American officials said today that al-Qaida had been effectively destroyed in Afghanistan." And Secretary of State Powell said just that. But a few graphs down, the paper notes that Gen. Tommy Franks, head of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said, "this a pitched fight. We have Al Qaeda dug into the hillsides in the ridges, in bunkers and in cave complexes."

Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld chimed in with his straight-talkin' shtick. "The question is, does that mean it's almost over in that area?" he asked. "I doubt it."

Phooey, said many Afghan fighters. "Al Qaeda is finished! Al Qaeda is finished!" they yelled.

Osama Bin Laden (OBL) still hasn't been found. Gen. Franks said that the United States "simply doesn't know" where he is.

Nor do Afghan commanders. "If you know, please show me," said one. "I'll chase him."

The governor of Afghanistan's eastern province wasn't surprised Bin Laden skedaddled. "He is not a child," said the governor. "For one month, he is understanding what situation was coming here. From one side, snow. From the other side, mujahedeen."

The papers note that many of the area's villages, on both sides of the border, have expressed support for al-Qaida and may help hide them.

The Post says that Pakistani soldiers have picked up 31 al-Qaida troops who were attempting to cross over in Pakistan. Meanwhile, Afghan militia also captured about 50 al-Qaida soldiers, including a commander.