The US envoy to Nato has said that a British-led military force due to move into southern Afghanistan must be ready to fight resurgent Taleban militants. Ambassador Victoria Nuland said Nato would need to provide "a strong and robust fighting force" in the region.
Scores have died in a spate of attacks in the south in recent months, among them a Canadian diplomat on Sunday. Nato has about 9,000 peacekeepers in Afghanistan and will expand its role to the south where US-led troops operate.
BBC defence correspondent Paul Wood says British troops are going to the south to guarantee reconstruction, not to engage in American-style capture and kill missions. But Ambassador Nuland said there should be no illusions about the "rigorous environment" in the south. "Nato forces, in providing security and stability throughout the country except to the east, will be prepared to perform missions up to and including what we call counter-insurgency, which obviously will require a strong and robust fighting force," she said. |