1.   Many of those killed were probably rendered unrecognizable, Major Hilferty said, and others were probably entombed in collapsed caves.

2.   U.S. troops may soon be dispatched to the area to search collapsed cave complexes for al-Qaida leaders, including bin Laden, officials said.

3.   But Mohammed Zaman, the defense chief for Nangarhar province, said his men are unearthing collapsed caves and that additional U.S. soldiers are not needed.

4.   U.S. officials say others have been incinerated by bombs, buried in collapsed caves or dragged away by their compatriots.