Ibragim Khikmat, the Northern Alliance senior representative in Tajikistan, disclosed that 200 Taleban troops had been killed in the fighting that began on July 19th and the heaviest military offensive of the summer had been repelled. He gave no information about the losses suffered by the forces of Achmed Shah Masood, who controls only a sliver of territory in northern Afghanistan.

According to the Taleban, its tanks and bombers attacked the Kalafgan district, 19 miles East of the Takhar provincial capital Taloqan, and gained ground before meeting strong resistance. Khikmat admitted that the Northern Alliance had suffered initial losses, but claimed that all the lost territory was recovered after a few hours of battle. "In some regions, we made advances," he added.

Kalafgan is a key district bordering Badakshan province - the last province under Masood's complete control. Masood, who was Defense Minister in the ousted Government of Burhanuddin Rabbani, was driven from Taloqan last summer, when the Taleban overran the neighboring Baghlan province and advanced North into Takhar.

The fighting near the border has raised regional concerns that hostilities could spill over into Tajikistan and Russia is pushing for the creation of a rapid reaction force to repel any incursion by Islamic rebels.