KABUL. Oct 9: Forces loyal to busted Afghan army chief Ahmad Shah Masood have cut off & large force of the Islamic Taliban militia in the strategic Salang Pass and inflicted heavy casualties, western aid workers said today, reports Reuter.

They said Masood s counterattack had forced the Taliban, who took Kabul on September 27. to suspend their attempt to advance into Masood's Pan-jsher Valley stronghold from the village of Golbahar at the mouth of the Gorge leading into the valley.

There are no Taliban left in

Golbahar." one aid worker said.

He said a colleague in the town of Jabal Os-Siraj. where the road to Golbahar forks from the main highway up to the Salang Pass, had'counted 39 dead Taliban fighters being brought down the highway during a single hour late on Tuesday.

He said the Taliban had lost at least 100 dead and suffered many more wounded In fighting that raged overnight as Masood’s men shelled concentrations of Taliban warriors and reinforcements heading for the Salang Pass across the Hindu

Kush mountain range.

The lighting eased on Wednesday morning, but Ma-sobd's forces now controlled hills almost as far as Jabal Os-Siraj and sporadic shelling could still be heard, the aid worker said.

Journalists trying to reach the frontline were stopped halfway between Jabal Os-Siraj and the town of the Charikar, about 10 km (six miles) to the south. Taliban commanders and fighters refused to give any information to reporters.

AFP adds, former Afghan prime minister Gulbuddin

Hekmatyar could not reach Mazar-i-Sharif today for a scheduled meeting with northern warlord Abdul Rashid Dostani to forge an anti-Tal-iban alliance, a spokesman said.

Ghairat Baheer said that business elsewhere prevented Hekmatyar from reaching Dostam's headquarters in northern Afghanistan.

However, ne said president Burhanuddin Rabbani, ousted by Taliban 12 days ago. was already in Dostam's base and the outcome of their talks could be acceptable to Hekmatyar.