Afghanistan opposition loses stratgic town

The anti-Taleban Harakat-i-Islami group in Afghanistan has confirmed the loss of the key Yakawlang district in the mountainous central region.

Heavy fighting was reported on Sunday after the Taleban announced that it was making a counter-attack on the area, which it lost in late December.

The town of Yakawlang is of strategic importance as it controls one of the main roads linking northern and southern Afghanistan.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service