British policy in Afghanistan in "tatters"

The post below is on Iraq, but the Afghanistan situation doesn't look much better:

A central element of British policy in Afghanistan, the Musa Qala agreement, appeared to be in tatters last night after Taliban forces overran the town it is named after. They bulldozed and burnt its administrative centre, and abducted opponents.

An exodus was under way from the town in Helmand province with people abandoning their homes in fear of air strikes amid reports that Taliban fighters were digging trenches as British and Nato forces moved into the area. There were also accounts, unconfirmed, of fighting place in the nearby district of Sangin.

Musa Qala has become a strategic and symbolic focal point since British forces withdrew after they reached a deal in November under which elders agreed to keep out the Taliban.