Key opposition town falls to Taleban

The forces of the ruling Taleban movement in Afghanistan have captured the key town of Taloqan from opposition forces.

A spokesman for the opposition Northern Alliance said forces of the military commander, Ahmad Shah Masood, withdrew two hours after the Taleban attack started.

He said civilians had fled the town earlier.

Taloqan lies in north-eastern Afghanistan, close to the border with Tajikistan.

It has been the main supply route for Mr Masood's forces, which now control only about ten percent of Afghanistan.

The BBC Afghanistan correspondent says the town had been under pressure from Taleban forces for several weeks.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service