A FORMER Taliban fighter and his two brothers have been jailed for a total of more than 13 years for an explosion of violence at a "drugs den."

Anwar Khan, 26, Hussain Khan and Dawood Khan had earlier been found guilty of violent disorder by a Burnley Crown Court jury.

Anwar and Dawood, 38, had also been convicted of separate allegations of wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

All are to appeal against convictions.

Anwar Khan was captured and taken prisoner by the Northern Alliance after taking up arms for the Taliban in Afghanistan when he was sent to Pakistan by his family to recover from a heroin habit.

Along with Dawood, he was jailed for five years.

The court was told Anwar's experiences in prison in Afghanistan, where he spent three years before returning to Burnley in 2001, had a profound effect on his mental state. He suffers post traumatic stress, had been almost starved and was tortured until being freed by British troops.

Hussain Khan, at 24 , was given a three-year sentence to be served after the 181 days left on a two-year sentence for possessing a firearm. Anwar and Hussain Khan are both of Kent Street, Burnley, while Dawood Khan lives at Canning Street in the town.

Judge Bennett said the violence at the Friendly, on New Hall Street, Burnley, where men were said to go to "chill," was a team effort and all had been armed.

The judge said the case had been "most uncomfortable," because of the interest shown by two factions. That had been demonstrated, sadly, by the fact a large police presence had been needed during the proceedings.

Judge Bennett told the brothers they had barged into the Friendly because they didn't like being told they couldn't go there.

Anwar Khan, who has previous convictions for violence, had taken with him a baseball bat, Hussain had been carrying a lump hammer and Dawood had had in his possession a knife.

The court had been told how during the trouble on January 11, Anwar Khan had hit victim Mohammed Akbar a hard blow on the head with the bat.

Hussain then tried to strike Mr Akbar with the hammer and Dawood stabbed him in the chest with a kitchen knife.