BRUSSELS, Rabi' Al-Awwal 06, 1432, Feb 09, 2011, SPA -- The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan warned that combat will likely escalate during the spring thaw as Taliban insurgents try to return to areas cleared by the international forces during the past several months. «There's been considerable progress in taking away from the Taliban safe havens,» Gen. David Petraeus said in an interview with NATO TV aired on Wednesday quoted by the Associated Press. «They have to fight back, they're losing momentum that's quite clear,» he said. «They know they need to regain that momentum.» --SPA 13:24 LOCAL TIME 10:24 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/863322