Two more UK Muslims 'die fighting'

Two more Britons are believed dead after travelling to Afghanistan to fight for Osama bin Laden and the Taliban.

The men are said to have slipped across the border with two men from Luton already confirmed dead. It is thought they may have been killed in the same US rocket attack on Kabul.

Officials from the al Muhajiroun organisation in Pakistan say the men are believed to be from the Midlands and the North, possibly Birmingham or Bradford. They are said to have entered Afghanistan unarmed nine days ago in the expectation of being given guns by the Taliban.

Abu Mariam, the al Muhajiroun spokesman in Pakistan, said: "The border is closed but guys who really want to fight can get through. All four were taken together by a guide so we think they may have travelled together to Kabul. However, these two are still missing."

While there is no independent verification, supporters of the Taliban claim scores of British and European-based Muslim have already travelled to Pakistan to resist the US-led coalition.

They are being told to regard Aftab Manzoor, 25, and Afzal Munir, 23, from Luton - the men already confirmed dead - as heroic figures. One recruit, Abdullah, 21, who left Ilford, Essex, to fight for the Taliban, said: "They are considered role models. They gave up their lives of luxury. They all had families and friends. These were not just loners who have nothing back at home. Instead, they decided there was something better for them and paid the ultimate sacrifice for their beliefs."

Abdullah said he was "itching" to fight in Afghanistan but the Taliban have requested troops stay in Pakistan until a full land war begins. Early reports claimed a third Luton man, Muhammed Omar, had been killed but he is now not believed to have been part of that group.

Friends and family of Yasir Khan, 27, from Crawley, who also died alongside Taliban fighters in Kabul, were told he was killed when a mosque where he was praying was bombed.

Mr Khan's family thought he was visiting relatives in Pakistan and are said to be angered by reports linking him to terrorists. One friend said: "We have no idea what he was doing in Afghanistan. Islam is all about peace."

Extremists among Luton's 20,000-strong Muslim population are a minority and the war in Afghanistan is opposed by virtually all. But even those who concede a need to confront the Taliban worry about the effects of lengthy military action.

Akbar Khan, of the community group Building Bridges, said: "The coalition keeps moving the goalposts. Their first stated aim was that they were after Bin Laden, a couple of days after they included the Taliban and now they are talking about staying there for 10 to 15 years. If there are no clear markers in this war, then soon it will be seen as persecution of Islam by Christians. In Luton, that means we will be playing into the hands of extremist groups."