NATO troops may need to stay in Afghanistan for a longer period and any decision should be based on the situation on the ground, Germany defense minister said on Thursday, in an implicit criticism of the U.S. time line.<br />"We need to look at whether we need to stay longer," Ursula von der Leyen said as she arrived for a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.<br />NATO said its special forces joined Afghan troops in Kunduz to try to push back Taliban insurgents who seized the city, repelled a counter-offensive and advanced on the airport to shore up their biggest victory in 14 years.<br />Heavy fighting was underway near the northern city's airport, where government forces are holed up, highlighting the potent challenge the militants pose after their lightning capture of Kunduz.
