Reacting to Tuesday's assassination of former President Burhanuddin Rabbani, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen send a defiant message to the Taliban-led insurgency in Afghanistan, telling them: "You will not prevail", dpa reported.
"I pay special tribute to Dr Rabbani, whom I met earlier this year in Kabul, and who was leading the peace and reconciliation effort that is vital for the future of Afghanistan," Rasmussen said in a statement.
"To those who offer only death and destruction to the Afghan people, our message is clear: you will not prevail. You will not stop the Afghan people from taking their destiny in their own hands and you will not shake the resolve of the international and Afghan partnership," NATO's top official insisted.