Rival Afghan Fighting Spreads

Fighting among rival Afghan factions seeking power in Kabul spread to three northern provinces Saturday as the struggle entered its third week, Afghan sources in Pakistan said.

Each side claimed victories in the Afghan capital itself, where jets from opposing sides bombed enemy positions during ground fighting, the sources said.

Forces loyal to President Burhanuddin Rabbani and his opponents were also engaged in new fighting in the northern provinces of Samangan, Jozjan and Balkh, they added.