KABUL, OCT 1: Forces battling the hardline Taliban militia have beaten back their opponents from within the limits of the key northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif, but fighting continues to rage close to the city, sources said on Tuesday.Independent sources said overnight gains by the Taliban - bringing the militia to within three kms east of the city center - had been ``slightly reversed'' following a fierce exchange of artillery and rockets.The battleground between the anti-Taliban alliance and the attacking hardline Islamic force was by the mid-afternoon ``in the vicinity of the airport'', they said.According to reports, heavy overnight fighting to the West of the besieged city had calmed down and all audible fighting had shifted to the east.
