Afghan opposition concedes loss, says Pakistani fighters involved

KABUL, Jan 28 (AFP) - Afghanistan's anti-Taiban opposition Friday conceded it had lost ground in the northern province of Sar-i-Pul and accused the ruling militia of using fighters from Pakistan in the attack.

Sar-i-Pul opposition leader Mohammad Muhaqeq said Taliban fighters had taken the areas of Gosfandee and Topzar.

"They brought reinforcements, including 1,500 Pakistanis from other provinces. We lost these areas two days ago," Muhaqeq told AFP by satellite phone.

He said 20,000 locals fled the embattled region to the remote southern areas of Balkhab and Abe Kalan, which he claimed were still controlled by the opposition.

The displaced villagers, who left their houses empty-handed, needed food and clothes, Muhaqeq said.

"They are staying in mosques and other public places in very harsh winter conditions," he said.

"The Taliban are burning villages and houses and killing civilians," he alleged.

The opposition leader called on the international community to help the villagers. "We need aid because we cannot properly cope with the problem."

The Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press earlier said the Taliban had Thursday taken the Gosfandee area, the site of a key mountain pass, from fighters loyal to opposition commander Ahmad Shah Masood, but only after several days of fighting.

The fighting left some 20 soldiers dead and dozens injured on both sides, the agency said.

The Islamic militia Friday arrested 18 opposition soldiers in the area, it added.

Earlier this month the Taliban took the district of Sang Charak in Jozjan from fighters allied to Masood to consolidate their grip on the province, the agency said.

Masood, who is entrenched in a Panjshir Valley stronghold 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Kabul, represents the last hurdle to Taliban domination of the whole of Afghanistan.

The Islamic militia has brought most of the country under its rule since seizing the capital in 1996.

The Taliban regime has so far been recognized by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.