Taleban triumph

The death of former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani (your report, 21 September) is just the latest in a long line of high-profile Taleban attacks and assassinations.

They appear to show, after ten years of war in Afghanistan, that the insurgency is stronger than ever. In recent weeks and months the Taleban have attacked Nato headquarters in Kabul in a 20-hour gun battle, bombed Britain’s cultural centre, shot down a Chinook killing 30 US special forces, injured a further 80 US troops in a suicide attack in Wardak province and continue to inflict casualties on Nato forces almost daily.

Worryingly for Nato, the Taleban are increasingly seen by many Afghans as a national liberation army, and outwith the cities the Taleban have effectively formed their own shadow government and even collect their own taxes.

It is now hard to imagine a future in Afghanistan that will not include the Taleban, and thus Nato’s lengthy and costly deployment, and the sacrifice of our servicemen and women, has achieved very little.

Robert N Mills

Pilgrims Hill

Linlithgow