The World - News from March 21, 1989

After months of negotiations, the Soviet Union and Afghan guerrillas have staged the largest prisoner exchange of the Afghan war, according to Pakistan-based diplomats. The exchange took place somewhere in Afghanistan within the last two weeks, the diplomats said, and involved at least 30 but no more than 70 Soviet soldiers captured by the U.S.-armed rebels during the 9 1/2 years of Soviet involvement in Afghanistan. In the talks leading up to the exchange, according to the diplomats, Moscow had spoken of returning 25 rebels for each Soviet soldier released. But when the exchange took place, the ratio was 10 to 1, they said.