The spokesman's perspective:

Continuing our new series of video commentary, NATO Spokesman James Appathurai gives his personal perspective on recent articles discussing NATO. He invites you to write in with your own comments and opinions, which could be featured in the next installment.

E-mail comments to: press@hq.nato.int

Up to 6,000 people have fled their homes in a southern Afghanistan district fearing NATO strikes amid a large-scale operation against Taliban militants, an official said Monday.

Seven NATO allies signed a deal Wednesday to fund a research center to boost the alliance's defenses against cyber attacks, seen as a growing threat to military and civilian computer networks.

The center is based in the Baltic nation of Estonia, which was hit last year by an unprecedented wave of cyber attacks that crippled government and corporate computer networks.

Canada and its allies in Afghanistan face increased threats from Taliban extremists because of deals they have struck with Pakistan that could be giving them safe havens across the border, NATO said Wednesday.

NATO urged Pakistan Wednesday to improve security on its border with Afghanistan following a rise in cross-border attacks by Taliban fighters and Al-Qaeda militants.

Estonia has signed a deal with six other NATO members to make it the military alliance's leading expert on Internet-based warfare: It is a move seen as recognizing its surviving a major Web-based attack a year ago.

Russia's military chief urged NATO Thursday to take steps to stop a build-up of arms in its neighbour Georgia and warned that conflict could break out if no action is taken.

"NATO has to take measures in order to prevent arms supplies to that region," Russian defence chief Yuri Baluyevsky told reporters at the military alliance's headquarters in Brussels.

Russia's top military officer offered NATO a compromise Thursday in hopes of ending a stalemate over how to revise a Cold War-era treaty to limit the deployment of tanks, aircraft and other non-nuclear heavy weapons in Europe.

Gen.Yuri Baluyevsky suggested Russia be given more flexible limits to move forces around its own territory as a way to break the deadlock over changing the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty.

NATO's commander for southeastern Europe says the force will maintain it's heavy presence in Kosovo, months after the new country declared independence from Serbia.

Adm. Mark Fitzgerald says the 16,000-strong force will not cut its numbers until Kosovo's police and justice system gain strength and, in his words, "are able to enforce the laws."

Twenty years ago today the tanks and armoured cars started to rumble north out of Kabul as the Soviet Union began its withdrawal from Afghanistan after eight-and-a-half years of war.

The mujahideen, backed by money and weapons from an alliance of the United States, Britain, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, had beaten a world superpower.