A war between its two Islamic neighbours would be ``a great mistake'', Aziz said in an interview granted in Paris to a leading Pakistani paper.

Describing his recent visit to Tehran and talks with the Iranian leaders as fruitful, the foreign minister said Iran had assured him that any step by their country would be taken after considering the regional situation.

He said Pakistan has requested Kabul to take urgent steps on the diplomats issue. Dismissing Pakistan's involvement in Afghanistan's affairs, Aziz said the United States has also asked Iran to refrain from attacking Afghanistan as it could further worsen the situatio in the region.

China has also expressed concern over the tension between Iran and the Taliban, saying the hostilities did not augur well for the region. The face-off means Beijing has to tread a careful path betweenIran, with whom it has close economic ties, and Pakistan, which supports the Taliban and with which China has a close relationship, a Western diplomat said.

The Chinese foreign ministry in Beijing said it was deeply concerned that the situation ``poses a threat to the peace and security of the region''.

It said Beijing hoped a so-called six-plus-two meeting on Afghanistan which opens in New York on the sidelines of the UN general assembly would push warring factions towards ``a peaceful solution''.

Meanwhile, in continuing violence in battle-scarred Afghanistan, at least 10 people were killed and ten more wounded when a heavy rocket hit northern residential areas of Kabul today afternoon, residents told AFP.

The heavy rocket, the second to hit the Afghan capital today, hit a residential settlement in the Khair Khana vicinity, flattening one house and partially destroying at least four others.

Local rescuers were desperately digging through debris for survivors after the second rocketstruck.

Earlier around noon, a rocket fell on wasteland without causing any injury, a day after an artillery attack on Kabul killed at least 66 and wounded another 215 civilians.

Residents said they believed yesterday's missile attack had been launched by the forces of Afghan ex-defence minister Ahmad Shah Masood, positioned 25 km north of Kabul in opposition to the Taliban militia ruling most of Afghanistan. But the anti-Taliban alliance denied targeting civilians in Kabul, saying its forces only attacked military installations.