US commander: Taliban weak in south Afghanistan

NATO's top commander in Afghanistan said Monday that a recent pledge by a southern Afghan tribe to stand up to the Taliban shows the military push in the region is making headway and stifling the insurgents' "central nervous system."

US Gen. David Petraeus told The Associated Press in an interview that a shift in thinking by the Afghan government and NATO means that the tribe's risky move is being embraced rather than ignored. And that brings the hope that others may follow suit, he said. (AP)