Brighton man Abdul Ahmadi is overjoyed after hearing his pregnant wife and young daughter, who live in Afghanistan, are safe.

Mr Ahmadi had been unable to contact his family since July and feared they may have been killed at the hands of the brutal Taliban regime which murdered his father.

His fears for his family's safety increased when the Allies began their bombing campaign following the September 11 atrocities in the United States.

He tried repeatedly to phone family and friends, who live about 20 miles from the capital Kabul, but could not make contact as uncertainty grew about the country's future.

He contacted the Red Crescent, the Muslim aid organisation which works with the Red Cross, in the hope of tracing his family but was told a search was impossible because of the upheaval in the country.

Mr Ahmadi, who runs a take-away shop in the Brighton area, carried his mobile telephone everywhere and kept it switched on in the hope of hearing from his wife or someone who may have had news of her.

Eventually, he received a call from his best friend in Kabul, who said he had seen his wife and family and they were safe and well.

Mr Ahmadi, who escaped to Britain after being imprisoned by the Taliban for three months after the murder of his father, said: "I am relieved they are well. I am so pleased. I would like to see them but it is not safe for me to visit.

"My friend said they were okay and everyone was alright but they cannot travel around because the situation is still not safe. They cannot reach a telephone. Everyone is still worried about what is happening."

Mr Ahmadi sought refuge in Britain with several of his brothers when his family became a target of the Taliban.

His family were educated and upper-middle-class and his father had worked for the Government which was overthrown by the regime.

His father was killed and the family's lives endangered when the Taliban took over.

He married his wife, whom he does not want to name for fear of putting her life in danger, two years ago.

His mother had selected her as his bride because she wanted him to have a traditional marriage to an Afghan muslim.

He travelled to Pakistan in 1998 to meet her because he was unable to re-enter Afghanistan because of the danger of being captured.

He liked her immediately and returned a year later, when the couple wed. His wife became pregnant with their first child, Hena, and last spring he met her in Pakistan, where she conceived their second child.

Mr Ahmadi is hoping to meet up with his wife again in time for the arrival of the baby, due in March.

But he said: "I cannot return to Afghanistan, as I still don't think it is safe. There is a new government but the fighting will start again. Just you watch."