Taliban fighters have recaptured a key area of western Afghanistan lost to opposition forces at the weekend, the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) says.
Taliban fighters launched a pre-dawn attack and wrested back Qadis district in Badghis province after three hours of fighting, AIP said. They also say around 60 Northern Alliance fighters have defected to the Taliban cause.
The ebb and flow of territory gained and lost is typical of warfare in Afghanistan. Mass defections are also common as local warlords frequently switch allegiance depending on who is in the ascendancy - usually taking all the men under their command with them.
Two Taliban fighters and three opposition soldiers were killed in the fighting, the report said, adding that the Taliban forces had also captured six prisoners.
No independent confirmation of the report was available.
In addition, AIP said about 60 opposition fighters had defected to the Taliban in Namak Aab area in northern Takhar province after fierce fighting.
The opposition reported Sunday that nearly 600 Taliban fighters had deserted or defected to their side at the weekend.
Northern Alliance forces, angered by the assassination of their commander General Ahmed Shah Masood last month, have stepped up their attacks, emboldened by the prospect of US retaliatory strikes further undermining the Taliban.