NATO claims 'slow and steady' success in Afghanistan despite skepticism

London, 12 June (ANI): NATO is still upbeat over its operations against Talibani forces in Afghanistan despite the recent attack on its convoy near Kabul on Friday, and the earlier admission by American Army officials, that the war on terror had reached a stalemate.

Speaking after the NATO talks in Brussels, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said that NATO-led forces in Afghanistan were regaining the initiative from insurgents, the BBC reported.

NATO was making progress "slowly, but steadily and sustainably", he added.

It is to be noted that NATO accounts for the vast majority of the 130,000 foreign soldiers currently deployed in Afghanistan.

In a major blow to its operations recently, a roadside bomb killed nine civilians in the Kandahar province on Friday while attacks by the insurgents in Afghanistan this month have killed at least 30 NATO soldiers, 20 of them Americans.

Meanwhile, NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen said it was still realistic to aim to start handing over security responsibilities to Afghan forces this year.

"I still believe that it's a realistic goal that the transition process can start by the end of the year, we have to work hard from now to make sure the conditions are really met," he said. (ANI)