PESHAWAR. Pakistan. June 5: Artillery battles raged on Saturday in a strategic Afghan valley near Kabul where forces led by Afghan Prilne Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar launched an assault on positions held by President Burhanuddin Rabbani, reports Reuter

Rabbani's jets launched bombing raids on positions held by Hekmatyar's Hezb-I-Islami party in the south of the Tagab valley. 64 (40 miles) northeast of the Afghan capital. Afghan party officials of both sides said in the neighbouring Pakistani city of Peshawar / The latest battle for posses sion of Tagab erupted on Thursday with an artillery offensive. led by tanks and heavy machine guns, by Hezb-I-Is-laml fighters northward up the valley, much of It held by Rabbani's forces.

Rabbani's forces retaliated with bombing raids. Hezb-I-Is-lami officials said.

Neither side was able to give figures for casualties.

Hekmatyar, battling for months to try to topple his arch-rtval the President, last clashed With Rabbani's forces In the Tagab val|ey — famed for its pomegranate orchards — in four weeks of fierce battles last Ddbember.

"We want to advance to capture Tagab so that we can fire on Baghram air base." one Hezb official said in Peshawar.