Taliban power grows

Last Modified: 23 Oct 2007
By: Nick Paton Walsh

A 30 minutes drive from the centre of Kabul, and the Taliban is in the ascendant. The insurgency is now encroaching on the capital.

"Compared to the past, now there are lots of Taliban back and they have improved their tactics. They have modern landmines and bombs," one local man said.

The coalition also has hardware and it can make peace just as hard.

A NATO air strike in this same province today reportedly killing eleven members of the same family. One of dozens of such mistakes, emboldening the Taliban, demonising NATO.

Jon Snow interview with Afghan president Karzai

Watch the interview with Hamid Zarzai here

An alliance facing a crisis of resolve in Afghanistan, its leaders suggest, meeting in Holland tomorrow to try and boost their troop commitments.

Robert Gates, US Defence Secretary said: "I am not satisfied that an alliance whose members have over two million soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen cannot find the modest additional resources that have been committed for Afghanistan."

America has 27,000 troops in theatre. 92 dead so far this year, and a record 563 injured.

NATO's other contributors are suffering from heavy casualties and a drop in domestic support.

Key to tomorrow's meeting in Holland are the Dutch, with 1700 troops in Uruzgun - 11 dead in total. They must decide in the coming weeks if they will stay on past 2009, which a 51 per cent majority of Dutch oppose.

Their decision will impact upon Canada, with 2500 troops in Helmand. They've suffered the heaviest casualties this year with 27 dead. Only 14 per cent of Canadians want this mission to carry on past 2009.

And a NATO spokesman said Britain, with 7700 troops in the south might send more to fill the gap. Despite a high death toll of 38 this year, and only a quarter of Britons supporting the mission, we understand the ministry of defence are considering whether they could take control of all of the south.

That could help streamline operations under one command. NATO is presently hampered by differing rules - even differing radio systems - on the battlefield. Top US general Lance Smith said privately last month that his men were dying in combat because allies struggled to communicate directly.

Six years in, the alliance is struggling, and even accepting the Taliban could have a place in a government. Were it only that simple, said to one MP who knows them well:

"The Taliban say that while foreigners are in Afghanistan, they are not ready for talks. And personally I have not come across a person who I can say represents the Taliban that we should talk to."

Negotiations are a long shot; with a civilian death toll rising and domestic political will ebbing. Even NATO's own commander here have dubbed this decision time.