Mazar-E-Sharif , May 26: Taliban forces came under a fierce attack on Monday as they tried to move up the strategic road from Kabul to newly captured north Afghanistan. Ousted military Chief Ahmed Shah Masood launched the attack on Taliban columns moving on the Salang highway, one day after one of his senior commanders defected to the Taliban.

General Bashir Salangi, whose forces had been in control of mountain positions over the highway, defected on Sunday evening and gave permission to the Taliban to move troops up the road.

But Masood apparently moved reinforcements into the area late on Sunday night, and began firing machine guns and rockets at hundreds of Taliban troops on tanks and jeeps.

Taliban soldiers took cover at the base of a rocky peak on the edge of the highway, which is the gateway through the rugged Hindu Kush mountain range. The troops were stalled at the mouth of the range, 90 kilometers (55 miles) North of the Afghan capital Kabul.

The Taliban were seen moving several wounded soldiers in jeeps down the road towards kabul.

A Taliban commander said the attack was led by Masood, who is fighting the Islamic Militia from northeastern strongholds in Takhar and Badakshan provinces.

``Bashir is still with us. These skirmishes are led by Massood,'' said general Mullah Eudallah Ahkund as bullets and rockets rained down around him.The Islamic Militia was trying to move troops to the desert city of Mazar-e-Sharif, 200 kilometers (125 miles) to the North. The Militia captured Mazar-e-Sharif on Saturday.

In the city, thousands of turbaned Taliban soldiers, brandishing their weapons, began enforcing strict Islamic law in this newly conquered corner of Afghanistan, warning foreign aid agencies to keep their workers indoors.

According to reports from Termez in Uzbekistan, troops of the Taliban occupied the Russian Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif when the northern city fell on Saturday to the radical Islamic militia.

Russian diplomats and their relatives managed to evacuate the Consulate on Friday night and reach the border town of Termez.

The consul, Nicolai Shevchenko said the Consulate was taken over by troops of General Abdul Malik.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.