A Pakistani channel reported that the Taliban and the Northern Alliance - or, the National Resistance Front - forces have reached an agreement to avoid a military escalation in the province of Panjshir, north of Kabul province.

Meanwhile, Russian media reported that direct negotiations between the Taliban and representatives of the National Resistance Front, the largest anti-Taliban group led by Ahmad Masoud, took place in the Parwan state capital.

The talks came after Masoud demanded international mediation, especially from Russia, to pressure the Taliban to create a buffer zone for those who cannot leave the country.

Ahmad Wali Masoud, brother of late Ahmad Shah Massoud, a senior face in the fight against the Taliban, said yesterday that the resistance "is spreading extensively" across Afghanistan against the movement because of its hardline conservative ideology.

"The beliefs of the people of Afghanistan have changed in the past 20 years," Wali Masoud told AFP during his visit to Paris, adding that "Afghan women want to live and work."

It is noteworthy that Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, said last week that Russia supports a nationwide dialogue for all political forces in Afghanistan.

"Even when Afghanistan was immersed in civil war, we supported the necessity of an immediate transition to a national dialogue with the participation of all opposing Afghan forces, of all ethno-religious Afghan groups," Lavrov added at a press conference.