Soviet Retreat at No. 2 Afghan City Reported

Soviet soldiers under attack by Muslim guerrillas have evacuated Kandahar, the second-largest city in Afghanistan, for the safety of its heavily fortified airport, Western diplomats said Tuesday.

Insurgents have had Kandahar under siege for a month and say they have formed an arc around the city, cutting roads on the north, south and east.

Those claims were supported by the reports from the diplomats, who said Afghan troops were driven to the city limits and that the Soviets, who are pulling out of Afghanistan under an agreement signed April 14, moved their troops to the airport.

The diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, said travel on the road to Herat in western Afghanistan was sporadic and many vehicles came under guerrilla fire.

Food Costs Soar

Food prices in Kandahar have increased tenfold because of the siege, they said. The city is about 300 miles south of the capital of Kabul.

Earlier reports have said pressure from U.S.-supported insurgents had forced the Soviets to delay withdrawal from Kandahar. An occasional battered military truck has been seen heading west from the city, but there were no reports of significant Soviet troop movement.

According to the diplomats, Soviet commanders are limiting use of their helicopters to avoid losing them to guerrillas armed with U.S.-made Stinger rockets and other anti-aircraft weapons.

At least 2,000 Soviet soldiers are said to be at the airport, which is southeast of the city.

While the siege of Kandahar continues, guerrilla leaders say they are attacking government garrisons and villages on the strategic highway from Kandahar to Kabul.

Western diplomats support insurgent claims that they control Kalat, the capital of Zabul province 150 miles south of Kabul. The Afghan government denies it.

When the withdrawal agreement was signed in Geneva, more than 100,000 Soviet military personnel were helping Afghanistan’s Communist government fight the 10-year-old insurgency.

Diplomats indicated disbelief of some reports about Soviet withdrawals.