Nato sends in British troops as Afghan rioters clash

The United Nations evacuated staff and Nato peacekeepers rushed British reinforcements to a remote Afghan town today after fierce fighting erupted during a protest against publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

The violence in Maymana, a city in the north-west, was just one of about half a dozen riots that erupted across Afghanistan. One person was killed and scores wounded in the fighting.

Protesters armed with assault rifles and grenades attacked the Nato base in Maymana, burning an armoured vehicle, a UN car and guard posts, said a doctor at Maymana Hospital.

He said one protester was shot dead and six others were wounded, while some 50 others were hurt by tear gas the peacekeepers used to disperse the demonstrators.