Soviets' Afghan casualties are estimated at 10,000

The Soviet Union has suffered about 10,000 casualties since its invasion of Afghanistan last December, and the wounded are being evacuated to Eastern Europe rather than to the Soviet Union, Western sources said Tuesday. They said Afghan resistance fighters, though badly in need of arms, had withstood the might of the Soviet forces in a sustained test. Soviet military forces in Afghanistan total between 80,000 and 100,000 men, despite the limited withdrawal announced in June. The Afghan government has also conceded that heavy fighting is occurring in the south and in the northern provinces bordering the Soviet Union.