NATO cannot afford to lose its battle against Taliban insurgents and al Qaeda militants in Afghanistan, US President George W. Bush said.

In a keynote speech hours before a summit of the 26-nation alliance in the capital of Romania, Bush said: "As (French) President (Nicolas) Sarkozy put it in London last week, we cannot afford to lose Afghanistan. Whatever the cost, however difficult, we cannot afford it, we must win. I agree completely.

"If we do not defeat the terrorists in Afghanistan, we will face them on our soil."

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