Dear sir,

Some Nato partners are failing to take on the Taliban

Your article rigorously highlights the soaring levels of violence in Afghanistan carried out by Islamic militants in recent months ("Afghanistan spiralling back to days of Taliban, say charities", 1 August). As a result of political and military neglect by both domestic and international actors, these ruthless attacks have cost innocent Afghan lives and further fractured the country's fragile security situation.

On-the-ground research carried out by ICOS has shown that British troops are in particularly grave danger, given that the Taliban are entrenched in 54 per cent of the country. Their situation is not helped by the reluctance of some Nato-ISAF members to send their troops into combat. At present, the caveats imposed by a number of Nato member governments, notably Germany and Italy, are preventing a significant proportion of Nato-ISAF troops already in Afghanistan from engaging effectively with the enemy. Every Nato state should be encouraged to contribute to an expanded force, which currently stands at 52,700, with a firm level of commitment that will provide a total force size of over 80,000. However, contributions should primarily come from those Nato states underrepresented in the coalition's total deployment.

To regain the military initiative and ensure future stability in Afghanistan, it is imperative that Nato displays a united front. Key Nato partners must share the burden of the fight against the Taliban. A failure to do so is putting unnecessary strain on the Alliance and making defeat in Afghanistan a worryingly real prospect.


Paul Burton
Director of Policy Analysis, ICOS, Paris


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