Washington  - US President George W Bush acknowledged on Wednesday that US and NATO forces in Iraq have faced a "tough" fight in recent weeks but expressed confidence the resurgent Taliban militants will be defeated.

"It has been a tough month in Afghanistan, but it's also been a tough month for the Taliban," Bush said.

The Taliban launched an assault in June throughout Eastern Afghanistan until being pushed back by US and NATO forces, but the fighting claimed the largest number of lives of US soldiers since the US-led coalition invaded the country in 2001.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that 28 US soldiers died in combat in June. They were among the total of 45 NATO troops killed, according to the internet service icasualties. org.

"One reason why there have been more deaths is because our troops are taking the fight to a tough enemy," Bush said.

The Taliban and al-Qaeda militants rebuilt their forces by seeking refuge in mountainous regions of Pakistan and then launching attacks across the border. The Pakistani government reluctance to go after the militants has been a source of frustration for the US and Afghan governments.

The United States intends to increase its troop presence next year and has urged other NATO countries to deploy more soldiers. There are nearly 30,000 US soldiers in Afghanistan, half of them under NATO command.

US, British, Canadian, Danish and Dutch forces are in the lead combat role in southern and eastern Afghanistan, and those countries have been frustrated by the unwillingness of other NATO countries to send troops to the fighting areas.

Germany recently announced it would send 1,000 more soldiers to Afghanistan but kept in place rules that restrict the to a peacekeeping and rebuilding roles in relatively safe areas of the country. (dpa)