Kandahar curfew lifted after 20 years

An American military spokesman says the authorities in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar have lifted a night curfew that's been in force there for more than 20 years.

The spokesman said the move was an example of the continuing progress towards stability throughout Afghanistan.

The curfew was first imposed in 1979, when the Soviet Union invaded the country.

Kandahar was a stronghold of Afghanistan's former Taleban authorities and one of the last cities to surrender to the country's new leaders.

Clashes between troops from the US-led coalition and Taleban supporters took place in the city earlier this year.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service