The World - News from Jan. 4, 1987

The Afghanistan government said its troops will observe a six-month cease-fire beginning Jan. 15 so long as the guerrillas also observe it. The main guerrilla groups have already rejected the truce offer, announced Thursday, as a sham. The guerrillas say they will fight the Marxist regime as long as Soviet troops are in the country supporting it. The proposal was seen as an effort to set the diplomatic stage for resumption of indirect talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan in Geneva next month on ending the six-year Afghan conflict.