Afghan Rebels Again Reject Truce

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Afghan guerrilla leaders, cheered by a crowd shouting “Death to the Russians,” vowed Saturday to step up their war against the Communist regime in their homeland and said they will form a provisional Afghan government.

They formally rejected the cease-fire declared by the Soviet-backed Kabul government, denouncing this and the government’s national reconciliation offer as a ploy to legitimize Soviet control of their country.

Leaders of the seven guerrilla groups making up the Islamic Alliance of Afghan Moujahedeen addressed a huge rally just outside this city 40 miles from the Afghan border.

A crowd estimated at up to 100,000 Afghan refugees yelled “God is great!” and chanted anti-Soviet and anti-Communist slogans as they applauded the speeches.

The Afghan government announced the start of a unilateral six-month cease-fire as of last Thursday and offered national reconciliation to end the eight-year-old war.

But rebel leaders here Saturday repeated their demands for withdrawal of the estimated 115,000 Soviet troops in Afghanistan, abolition of the Communist government and free elections.