General Dostum's militiamen fought those of Atta Mohammad

Troops loyal to warlords Atta Mohammad and Abdul Rashid Dostum were preparing to draw back from frontline positions west of Mazar-e-Sharif, 310 kilometres (190 miles) north of Kabul.

The number of casualties from the fighting is uncertain but reports say up to 80 soldiers may have been killed or wounded.

The ceasefire was brokered late on Thursday by the Afghan Government to which both factions are loyal.

Under the terms of the truce, both sides are scheduled to withdraw 30 kilometres from the frontlines before Saturday and then return troops to bases.

Commanders to meet

There were no reports of new clashes on Friday with both sides expressing hope the truce would last.

"We are all very happy the fighting has stopped," Hashim Khan, one of Atta Mohammad's commanders, told the AP news agency.

"Now is the time in Afghanistan for reconstruction and peace. It is not the time for fighting. This has been very bad. My side will never be the first to break the ceasefire, never."

Commanders from both sides are due to meet on Friday in the United Nations' offices in Mazar-e-Sharif.

The ceasefire terms call for the dispatch of 300 police from Kabul to secure Mazar-e-Sharif, where local police are believe to be split in their loyalties between the two warlords.

There will also be a commission to investigate the cause of the conflict.

A government spokesman said it was probably a dispute over land or access to water.

General Dostum, who leads the minority Uzbek community, and Atta Mohammad, head of the mainly Tajik Jamiat-i-Islami militia, are long-term rivals for control of northern Afghanistan.

Both men nominally support President Hamid Karzai. General Dostum is deputy defence minister.

The fighting further illustrates the problems facing President Hamid Karzai in imposing order beyond the capital, Kabul.

The government is committed to a plan to disarm the country's warlords.