Taliban Battle Dostum’s Troops Jets Drop Bombs Near Airport In Afghanistan Capital

Fighter pilots loyal to a northern warlord dropped bombs near the Kabul airport late Saturday then came under attack from Taliban gunners firing anti-aircraft weapons.

The explosions rattled the northeastern edge of the capital. It was not known whether there were any casualties.

Soldiers loyal to warlord Rashid Dostum said the jets were his. An earlier bombing raid on the airport also is believed to have been carried out by Dostum’s forces.

The attack followed reports that Dostum’s troops were battling Taliban forces in northwestern Afghanistan - the first confirmed fight between the two forces since the Taliban Islamic army captured Kabul on Sept. 27.

Dostum has allied himself with the former government military chief, Ahmad Shah Massood, and two smaller groups in an effort to force the Taliban leaders into negotiations.

A spokesman for Dostum in Pakistan confirmed Saturday that soldiers loyal to the warlord were fighting Taliban soldiers in the northwestern province of Badghis. He denied that the province was under Taliban control.

Afghanistan has been beset by factional fighting since 1992, when rebel forces splintered after ousting the Soviet-backed government.