NATO’s credibility on the line in Afghanistan, says defence secretary

BRITAIN’S Defence Secretary Des Browne warned yesterday that the credibility of the NATO alliance in Afghanistan was on the line as he admitted that the operation had proved harder than expected.

He said the Taliban’s tenacity in the face of heavy losses had come as a “surprise” to commanders.

It was essential, he said, that other NATO members came forward with the additional 2,500 troops called for by commanders.

Mr Browne said NATO had always expected to face resistance when it moved into southern Afghanistan earlier this year.

“We always knew the south would be hard,” he told the Royal United Services Institute military think tank in London.

“But we do have to accept it has been even harder than we expected: the Taliban’s tenacity in the face of the massive losses has been a surprise, absorbing more of our effort than we predicted it would, and consequently slowing progress on reconstruction.”

While Britain, the US, Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark and Estonia had forces fully committed in southern Afghanistan, Mr Browne said it was now up to other NATO members to come forward with reinforcements — both for the sake of the mission and the “credibility” of the alliance.