An MP today condemned the "desperate waste of a young life" after a Muslim from Sussex was killed fighting for the Taliban.

Officials for Islamic militant groups said Abu Wahid, 26, from Crawley was one of five British Muslims killed in Afghanistan.

Crawley's Labour MP Laura Moffatt said: "It's such a desperate waste of a young life.

"Whatever his family must be feeling at the moment, I just don't know.

"It really is tragic, particularly as the situation was just starting to settle down over there as well."

Speaking in the Pakistan capital Islamabad, Hassan Butt of the British Al-Muhajiroun group, said: "Five of our British Muslim volunteers were martyred in Mazar-e-Sharif."

Rubina Shamin, who chairs Crawley Kashmiri Women's Welfare Association, said: "All of us Muslims condemn the way these people are going out to Afghanistan claiming to be fighting for jihad.

"All religions have fundamentalists but in our religion we practise in much the same way as Christians in that we totally condemn innocent killing. This is sad."

The Northern Alliance seized Mazar-e-Sharif a week ago, starting a string of rapid victories which led to the fall of Kabul in the past week.