Afghan Taliban tougher than expected - UK minister

LONDON, Sep 19 (Reuters) Taliban opposition to NATO forces in Afghanistan is far tougher than was expected when alliance troops were initially deployed, British Defence Minister Des Browne said today.

With 19 British and four Canadian troops killed this month in separate attacks in the country, Browne said the end was still some way off.

''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 consequently slowing progress on reconstruction,'' he told the Royal United Services Institute think-tank.

''We do have to accept that it's been even harder than we expected.'' Britain has about 7,000 troops in Afghanistan as part of a NATO force which is facing the worst violence since US-led forces overthrew the Taliban in late 2001.

About 4,000 are in the turbulent southern Helmand province and have found themselves in repeated and intense battles with returning Taliban fighters -- contrary to initial expectations when the alliance pushed south in August from the relative quiet of the north, west and capital Kabul.

Browne said ''exhaustive'' preparations were made ahead of the deployment but some factors only emerged once troops were there.

''That's what happens when you deploy -- you find out things that you didn't know before because your presence there is an additional factor,'' he said.

Referring to the hard-line Taliban Islamists, Browne said: ''These are intelligent people who have been fighting all their lives, indeed for generations. You not only have to overmatch them but you have to overmatch them repeatedly.'' NATO said more than 400 Taliban had been killed in Operation Medusa, the alliance's biggest ground offensive against the fighters. The Taliban denied suffering such heavy losses.

NATO APPEAL NATO has urged member states to contribute another 2,500 troops to the Afghan force. Poland has since offered 1,000 troops and Browne said he is confident others will follow suit.

''Those of us who are already fully committed in the south ... must remind our partners that it was their agreement and support that brought us to this point and that the mission is as vital as it always has been,'' he said.

''When (NATO) decides to use military force, all partners should be prepared to face equal risk.''.

NATO forces in Afghanistan have also realised that new tactics are needed to quickly establish basic necessities as well as structural change, Browne said.

''This means .. clean drinking water and basic sanitation for doctors, simple laws in the hands of local law enforcement, and ditches for farmers. Of course we need to develop proper working government ministries in Kabul, supreme courts and so forth -- but we have to do this in parallel, not first,'' he said.

REUTERS DKA RK1725