Retrial in Afghan 'torture' case

Faryadi Sarwar Zardad denies torture and hostage charges

An alleged Afghan warlord is to face a retrial after a jury failed to reach a verdict, prosecutors have confirmed.

Faryadi Sarwar Zardad, of Streatham, south London, had denied torture and kidnapping in Afghanistan.

He was the first person to be tried in the UK under a law allowing alleged torturers to be tried regardless of where the alleged crime occurred.

The Crown Prosecution Service said on Thursday it was "in the public interest" to proceed with the case.

The retrial is not expected to take place until early summer next year.

Following the seven-week trial the jury of eight men and four women were told they could return majority verdicts on Tuesday.

However, their foreman said there was no possibility of them being able to reach a decision, after 25 hours of deliberations.

It was alleged Mr Zardad was a warlord in charge of the Sarobi area outside the Afghan capital Kabul at a time of much internal fighting, between 1991 and 1996.

He was later found living in London.