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Events on Monday 17 December 2001 1
2001Battle of Tora BoraUS and Afghan forces assault a mountain cave complexIn December 2001 US special forces, air power and allied Afghan militias attacked the Tora Bora cave complex in eastern Afghanistan, believed to shelter Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda fighters. The defences were overrun by mid-December, but bin Laden escaped, probably into Pakistan. The failure to capture him became a lasting point of criticism.