LONDON, Sept 19: Britain warned on Tuesday that the credibility of Nato was at stake in Afghanistan after it was surprised by the strength of resistance from the Taliban, the country’s hardline former rulers.

In a speech in London, Defence Secretary Des Browne underlined the need for London’s allies to share the burden of fighting in the volatile south of the war-scarred country.

Britain remains confident of ultimate victory despite a recent surge in deadly violence, he said. But he admitted: “We do have to accept that it’s been even harder than we expected.

“The Taliban’s tenacity in the face of massive losses has been a surprise, absorbing more of our effort than we predicted it would and consquently slowing progress in reconstruction,” he told the Royal United Services Institute.

Britain took over command of Nato forces in the volatile south of Afghanistan in May, and have faced fiercer-than-anticipated resistance from Taliban insurgents.

A total of 33 British troops have died since then, compared to a total of 40 since Nato moved into Afghanistan in 2001 in the wake of the Sept 11 terror attacks in the United States.

Nato’s top commander General James Jones has called for an extra 2,500 troops in Afghanistan, and Poland vowed last week to boost its contingent there from 120 troops to about 1,000 by next February.

Browne welcomed the Polish offer, but reiterated on Tuesday the need for all 26 Nato members to commit themselves the task of bringing peace and stability to the war-ravaged country, despite the heavy losses.

Browne said that there were “understandable concerns” in Nato capitals at bolstering the reconstruction and stability force in Afghanistan because of the risks posed to troops in the country.

“But those of us who are already fully committed in the south — ourselves, the Canadians, the Dutch and the Estonians and the ever-present Americans — must remind our partners that it was their agreement of support that brought us to this point,” he said.—AFP