The nato alliance likes to boast it has won every battle in Afghanistan, forcing the Taliban to resort to "asymmetric" suicide bombings. Perhaps. But nato is far from winning the war, and the ragged Afghan insurgents seem to have more staying power than the West's mighty alliance. As defence ministers prepare to meet in the Netherlands on October 24th, nato itself is looking shaky. Last year, when southern Afghanistan erupted in intense violence, nato asked for more troops and said the contingents already there should do more to help the countries leading the combat, mainly America, Britain and Canada. This year, with casualties higher than in 2006, nato's concern is no longer to increase its strength but to stop some allies from withdrawing altogether.
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