The Dutch army leadership is at odds with the Nato’s strategy of using heavy arm tactics to keep the Taliban under control, the NRC reported on Thursday evening. The paper quoted Defence Ministry sources as saying there was tension between the Netherlands and its Nato partners: the US, Canada and Britain.

The military alliance is facing strong resistence in the the south of the country, where peacekeeping efforts are supposed to be focused on rebuilding the country. Dutch soldiers have been repeatedly involved in fighting Taliban resistance.
The NRC claimed that chief of staff of the armed forces Dick Berlijn had told the Nato allies that continued fighting was not good for winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people.
A Defence Ministry spokesman denied there was tension between the allies. There were some disagreements, he said, but nothing that was not normal in a difficult operation.