SINCE July, Afghan Abdul Ahmadi has been on tenterhooks, fearing the worst but hoping against hope his pregnant wife and daughter were safe in his war-torn country.

In a Christmas telephone call he was told by a friend that both had been seen and were safe and well.

Mr Ahmadi escaped to Brighton from the brutal Taliban regime after being imprisoned for three months following the murder of his father.

Now he is in limbo, worried about his young family but unable to go back for fear of being slaughtered.

In times of war, it is all too easy to forget the innocent victims whose lives are torn apart by atrocities that seem increasingly unreal when viewed on the news from our comfy living rooms.

Spare a thought for Mr Ahmadi, who spent Christmas day cradling his mobile phone praying for word from relatives on the front line. The war on terrorism holds no shield for the innocent.