Afghan Taliban tougher than expected: U.K. minister
12650
Taliban opposition to NATO forces in  Afghanistan is far tougher than was expected when alliance  troops were initially deployed, British Defense Minister Des  Browne said on Tuesday.
581376
Most of the Afghan forces fighting the government are "soft Taliban," some adherents  claim. But "hard Taliban" are calling the shots
703088
British Prime Minister Tony Blair told soldiers fighting a resurgent Taliban that success in Afghanistan would be a step toward global security, and on Monday pledged Britain's commitment to the war-torn country "for as long as it takes."
536996
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband travelled to the heart of the Taliban insurgency during a surprise trip to Afghanistan on Thursday.
251962
The scale of British military casualties in Afghanistan is being under-reported, a press report said, citing a report by a senior army officer.
313180
NATO defence ministers were set Friday for a second day of contentious talks on Afghanistan amid calls led by the United States and Britain for more frontline combat troops to fight resurgent Taliban forces.
411608
Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett Thursday visited the southern Afghan province of Helmand where thousands of British troops are deployed to fight the Taliban, a statement said.
207592
NATO countries are not giving the  international force securing Afghanistan enough support and  there are worrying signs that the Taliban are growing stronger,  a detailed study by Britain&#39;s parliament has found.
761554
Claims that top officials talked to the Taliban in Afghanistan threatened fresh embarrassment Thursday for Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who had previously ruled out negotiations with the militia.
720894
British troops in southern Afghanistan have clashed with Taliban fighters for the first time since deploying to the restive region earlier this year, a newspaper reported.
330965
Insurgents in Afghanistan are fighting harder and there are more foreign extremists in the battlefield, the top international commander in the country told AFP.
561448
Nato's chief warns of big challenges in Afghanistan, as top US and UK diplomats visit the country.
249627
The United States sees suicide bombers in Afghanistan as a greater threat than any organized summer offensive by the Taliban, which has been weakened by the loss of key commanders, a U.S. official said on Wednesday.
206254
The Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan is &amp;quot;perhaps more virulent&amp;quot; than expected, but British troops are &amp;quot;more than equal&amp;quot; to confronting the challenge, a senior general has said.
264048
Britain will deploy nearly 1,400 extra troops to southern Afghanistan, where NATO forces are bracing for a Taliban spring offensive, Defence Secretary Des Browne said Monday.
293124
Britain said Monday it was not "engaged" with the Taliban, after a report that relations between London and Kabul have soured due to a secret British plan to train former Taliban fighters.
290314
Hard-fought gains by NATO troops this year could be lost in coming months if Afghan forces fail to hold ground seized from the Taliban, the NATO commander in Afghanistan said in an interview broadcast on Friday.