Commander- Bin Laden in eastern Afghanistan

JALALABAD, Afghanistan -- A senior anti-Taliban commander here said Saturday he believes Osama bin Laden is nearby, moving by night on horseback and sleeping in caves during the day.

Hazrat Ali, security chief in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, said he received reports from trusted informants that bin Laden was seen as recently as Wednesday at an al-Qaida and Taliban mountain base called Tora Bora.

"He is riding at night on horseback, during the days he stays in caves," Ali said. "He goes to a different place every night."

There was no way to confirm Ali's claims.

Ali said 500 to 600 Taliban and al-Qaida fighters have holed up in Tora Bora, 40 miles southwest of Jalalabad, which is near the Pakistani border. He said he used the base when he was fighting the Soviet army, and that it is nearly impossible to capture.

U.S. planes have been bombing the mountain redoubt regularly.

Explaining how he got his information, Ali said: "Afghan people do not want foreigners in our country. When the villagers see bin Laden, they tell us."

He claimed almost everyone in the country knows of the $25 million reward the United States is offering for information leading to bin Laden's capture.