Spectators who attended a sneak preview of the Olympic opening ceremony were urged not to spoil the surprise for the rest of the world by keeping details of the eagerly-anticipated curtain raiser under wraps.

Afghan security forces supported by Nato-led troops will soon launch an operation to recapture a southern town that was overrun by Taliban militants, an official said today.

Hundreds of Taliban militants overran a southern Afghan town that British troops left after a contentious peace agreement in October, destroying the government centre and temporarily holding elders hostage, officials and residents said today.

British commander General David Richards, Nato’s top commander in Afghanistan, said today the country was at a crucial point – and warned Afghans would probably switch their allegiance to resurgent Taliban militants if there were no visible improvements in people’s lives in the next six months.