News In Brief

Heavy losses are reported in attack on Afghan rebels

Between 50 and 80 Afghan guerrillas were killed last week when government helicopter gunships and MIG jets attacked them in an open area north of Kabul, according to Western diplomats.

The attack inflicted the heaviest single loss on Muslim rebels in a government campaign against them in the Shomali Valley north of the capital. The Kabul government, aided by Soviet forces, has been bombing villages in the Shomali Valley to flush out guerrillas and ensure control over supply lines before winter.