Taliban raid puts peace agreement in doubt

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.

The assault, days after a Taliban commander was killed outside the town of Musa Qala, raises doubts about the future of the peace deal, which has been criticised by some Western officials as a Nato retreat in hostile Taliban territory.