The envoy, Francesc Vendrell, said Western forces were prepared to “take the bull by the horns” in confronting the rebels and would not withdraw until they stabilize the security situation in Afghanistan.
“There is larger Taleban activity than it was a couple of years ago. It is not good news. If the Taleban persists in such attacks they will get a bloody nose,” he told a news conference after meeting US officials.
There has been a spike in Taleban-linked violence this year and analysts believe the more organised and aggressive rebel force is making a stand before the impending expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces into the south of the country.
While the insurgency traditionally heats up as the weather warms, this year has seen some of the heaviest fighting since the Taleban were toppled in 2001, with nearly 300 people, most of them rebels, killed in a week of intense battles and suicide attacks.
Vendrell also cautioned that European NATO forces should be prepared to take bigger casualties with the stepped up attacks by the Taleban.
“I have to say that it is possible that there will be greater casualties in this coming summer than there there have been in the past,” he said.
“We are going to have a difficult summer but I think it is important that European countries realize ... that when we send military forces to difficult or dangerous areas, there may be casualties -- much as we all try to avoid them.”
The London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said in a report Wednesday that NATO forces were likely to come under increased attack as the United States withdraws some of its troops from Afghanistan
