May 24, 2002	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 11,1423

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ISLAMABAD, May 23: Heavy fighting has erupted in northern Kunduz province between the forces of Afghan defence minister Mohammad Qasim Faheem and his deputy Abdul Rashid Dostum, killing at least six people, a report said on Thursday.

The Afghan Islamic Press said the clashes began late on Wednesday in Qila Zal district, 60 kilometers west of Kunduz city near Afghanistan’s border with Tajikistan.

At least six people have died and many others are wounded, the news agency said.

Qila Zal had been under the control of the Jamiat-i-Islami faction, to which Faheem belongs, but that Dostum’s men launched an assault with light and heavy weapons and seized several areas overnight, AIP said.

The defence ministry has rushed some 250 fresh troops to the area to restore the hold of Jamiat, which is led by former president Burhanuddin Rabbani, it said.

These troops will fight against Dostum’s supporters to seize back control of the lost territory, AIP said without giving any source.—AFP