The death of the Taliban's military commander will mark only a slowing of terror attacks and militants will regroup in a matter of weeks, according to Nato's commander in Afghanistan.

"Clearly that [death] will cause a setback but I wouldn't want anybody to believe that this is the end of the insurgency," said -General Dan K. McNeill, the US commander of the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), who took over from Britain's General David Richards.