Afghan militants battle Taliban, defect to government, dozens killed

Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a former Afghan warlord, speaks during an interview with the AFP in Tehran 17 October 2001, where he announced that he would rejoin the anti-American resistance in Afghanistan if and when US-led military forces begin a land offensive in his country.

A battle between the Taliban and an Islamist militia loyal to Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has reportedly claimed dozens of lives and prompted some fighters to defect.

Afghan officials in northeastern Baghlan province say the militiamen have been firing rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns at Taliban forces, but may be suffering heavier casualties.

Provincial police say a total of at least 50 fighters have been killed and there are likely civilian casualties, too. They also say more than 100 militia members have pledged to join government forces massed on the edge of the battle zone.

Hekmatyar has been allied with al-Qaida and his fighters have operated alongside the Taliban for years. Baghlan and nearby Kunduz and Kunar provinces are considered his stronghold, but officials say they now appear to be battling for control of several villages where the government has had almost no presence.

While NATO and Afghan forces have launched a series of offensives to reassert government control in the country's south, they are not expected to target the mountainous northeast.