Soviets hit hard in attack, but Afghan unity is fragile

Soviet forces suffered heavy losses in an Afghan rebel attack at a dam near the Pakistani border and in fighting along the Kabul-Jalalabad highway, rebel spokesmen said Sunday, amid growing signs of a split between Muslim resistance groups.

A British newspaper, the Sunday Telegraph, reported that the Soviet niodrawal" of its Central Asian troops in Afghanistan and their replacement with white, non-Muslim soldiers. soviets are reported concerned about possible fraternization with the Afghan population.

A meeting in Peshawar, Pakistan scheduled by the six guerrilla groups trying to form a united opposition to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan was canceled when one of the groups, the Islamic Front, expressed dissatisfaction with the way membership in the coalition was being handled.