Presumptuous to say NATO forces failed in Afghanistan: PM

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said it would be "much too presumptuous" to say that NATO forces had failed in Afghanistan in the wake of pitched battles between them and the Taliban militia in Kabul.

"It is much too presumptuous," Singh told reporters when asked whether NATO forces had failed in Afghanistan in the wake of the latest attacks in Kabul.

However, the Prime Minister was quick to add that he was not aware of the ground situation in Afghanistan.

"I dont know the situation on the ground. NATO is claiming that their strategy is working," Singh said.

Taliban suicide bombers and gunmen had attacked the diplomatic zone of the Afghan capital and Parliament for hours on Sunday and struck at least three eastern provinces.

The simultaneous attacks tested the Afghan military and police who responded in Kabul with minimal help from Nato.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai had said the coordinated attacks on Kabul showed the "failure" by Afghan intelligence and especially by NATO.