ISLAMABAD, Oct 21: The Taliban on Sunday decided to arm people in the countryside to fight the increasing US military pressure, the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) agency reported.

AIP said the Taliban cabinet took the decision after the US began commando operations in southern Afghanistan at the weekend and launched attacks on its frontlines in the north to assist the opposition Northern Alliance forces.

Taliban spokesman Amir Khan Muttaqi told the Pakistan-based agency that heavy machineguns, rocket launchers and anti-aircraft guns would be distributed among the people to fight US ground troops.

Muttaqi appealed to Muslims everywhere to provide funds to take care of the war victims. The cabinet urged the aid agencies to carry on their work in Afghanistan.

Earlier, he reported that the forces of the opposition Northern Alliance attacked Taliban front lines in Balkh and Samangan provinces in northern Afghanistan on Sunday after US warplanes had bombed the positions, but were repulsed.

The alliance has a strong presence in the two provinces, and had been trying to take Mazar-e-Sharif, capital of Balkh, which could provide the US a base inside Afghanistan to pursue its war on the Taliban and the Al Qaeda network of Osama bin Laden.

Balkh borders the anti-Taliban Uzbekistan where the US has put 1,000 troops for its military campaign in Afghanistan.

In Samanagan, which borders Tajikistan, also anti-Taliban, the US bombed Taliban in the strategic Dara Souf area. Its fall would clear the way for the Alliance’s advance on Mazar-e-Sharif.

AIP said the Taliban had been controlling the mountainous area for five years but never been able to completely put down the resistance there.—dpa