NATO gives itself six months to tame the Taliban

[tocqueville]

1 hour, 33 minutes ago

LONDON (AFP) - NATO forces in Afghanistan have set themselves a six-month deadline to establish a clear advantage over Taliban insurgents, their commander said in an interview.

Lieutenant General David Richards, the British general in charge of the international force in the war-shattered country, said they had to prove that Afghan President Hamid Karzai's administration had the upper hand in the battle against supporters of the deposed Taliban regime.

"We have to show in the next six months that the government is on the winning side," Richards told Britain's Financial Times business daily.

His comments highlight the growing concern that Afghan and international officials needed to do more to win popular support in the lawless south of the country.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060902/wl_uk_afp/afghanistannatomilitarybritain

[applegrove]

1. Good. At least Nato doesn't want a slow war there.

[oblivious]

2. He didn't say what happens if they fail.

I hope they'll have the decency to admit failure and leave those poor people alone to determine their own future.

[bananas]

3. Really - and then what?

NATO will give them another six months?