Several people have been reported killed or wounded in heavy clashes between rival warlords in northern Afghanistan. The fighting broke out on Tuesday in the towns of Sar-e-Pol and Shulgara - near Mazar-e-Sharif - between ethnic Tajik commander Atta Mohammad and his main rival in the area, Abdul Rashid Dostum - an ethnic Uzbek. The Afghan defence ministry said it had sent negotiators to the area on Wednesday to calm the situation. Ashraf Nadim, a spokesman for General Atta, said a ceasefire had been negotiated in Shulgara but fighting was continuing around Sar-e-Pol. The casualties were said to be mainly among the forces of General Atta, who is governor of Mazar. General Dostum, who is Deputy Defence Minister as well as interim leader Hamid Karzai\'s special representative in the area, is also extremely influential in the city. The clashes are thought to have arisen from a dispute about a military parade there on Sunday. Mazar was the scene of bitter fighting between the two factions for several years before the Taleban seized control in 1998. And there were further clashes after the Taleban departure as Uzbek and Tajik forces battled for control of the area at the end of January this year. (BBC)