The World - News from May 17, 1989

Afghanistan’s Marxist government said that Muslim rebels have abandoned their quest to capture the eastern city of Jalalabad and have opened a major offensive against the southern border town of Khost. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said at least 1,193 guerrillas have been killed since the Khost attack began over the weekend. Afghan armed forces responded with heavy artillery and air strikes to a frontal assault by 9,000 guerrillas and fired dozens of Scud-B missiles from bases in Kabul, the capital, about 250 miles north of Khost, he said.