Forces loyal to anti-Taliban commander Ahmad Shah Masood were confident that both districts northeast of Kabul would fall shortly and Taliban fighter jets had carried out four sorties on the Opposition's Panjsher Valley stronghold, he said, adding, ``There were civilians killed in the bombing raids but we're still assessing the damage''.

The Taliban hardline Islamic militia ten days ago launched its summer offensive from Tagab and quickly took nearby Nijrab. Over the next week the militia scored a stunning series of victories and forced Masood to retreat.But on Thursday, Masood launched a counter strike and has since regained nearly all territory lost to the militia and pushed the them back to within 30 kilometres north of Kabul.

The Opposition spokesman said between 800 and 1,000 Taliban fighters were killed inthe counter offensive, including ``many Pakistani nationals and Arabs.'' ``We are trying to identify as many of the Pakistan bodies as possible and gather as much evidence as we can to present to the international community to validate our claims of Pakistan involvement,'' he said.