Soviets close off garrison in Kabul during infighting

Soviet tanks have sealed off the Afghan Army's main garrison in Kabul after clashes between Afghan troops and their Soviet advisers, Western diplomats said. Shooting has taken place almost every night for the past week in the Pule-Charki garrison, headquarters of the Afghan Army's two main armored brigades. The reported disaffection in the elite 4th and 15th Armored Units coincides with increased gun battles at night in the streets and a two-hour extension of the previous five-hour overnight curfew. Afghan military patrols and armed party militia that police the city have been put on alert and their numbers increased.

Word of the clashes came as the Afghan President, Babrak Karmal, arrived in the Soviet Union on his first official visit since his installation by Soviet troops last December.