The World - News from Dec. 16, 1987

Soviet and Afghan government forces are massing to break a guerrilla siege of the city of Khost, 12 miles from the Pakistan border in eastern Afghanistan, Western diplomats said. The diplomats, speaking in Islamabad, Pakistan, cited reports from inside Afghanistan that huge convoys and military airlifts have been seen heading southeast from Kabul, the capital, toward embattled Paktia province. They said they expect a major push next week. The government admitted on Nov. 30 that Muslim rebels had cut off Khost.