News In Brief

Soviet, Afghan troops said to be major drive on rebels

Soviet and Afghan forces have launched a major offensive against Muslim guerrillas regrouping in the Logar Valley south of Kabul, Western diplomats said here Tuesday. They said two columns of communist troops, one from Kabul and a second from Ghazni to the south, advanced in a pincer movement on the valley last week. Civilian losses are reported heavy. The Logar Valley is a key hiding area for guerrillas staging raids on Kabul.

Babrak Karmal, Afghan President of the Soviet-installed regime, was reported to be continuing a visit to the Soviet Union. He arrived there two weeks ago for what the official Soviet news agency Tass described as a brief visit.