KABUL: The commander of international forces in Afghanistan, US General David McKiernan, said on Sunday that the West had not lost the war against Taliban but more troops and equipment were needed to tackle the situation.

“We are not losing in Afghanistan,” the four-star US general, who commands both the 40-nation Nato-led International Security Assistance Force and the separate US-led coalition, told reporters in Kabul.

“The insurgency will not win in this country. The vast majority of people, who live here, do not want the Taliban,” he added. Reacting to recent Western media reports about failures of international military operations in Afghanistan, the general said, “I absolutely reject that idea, and I do not believe it.” But the general said he needed more troops and military gear, including helicopters, to speed up the war against the insurgents. “We have insufficient security forces to adequately provide for the security of the people of Afghanistan,” he said.

“Besides soldiers, there was need of helicopters, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, logistics and transportation, civil affairs or other capabilities,î the general added. He called on the alliance countries to provide him with the necessary troops and equipment.