A top ranking Republican on the US Senate Armed Services Committee, John McCain said, NATO and Afghan troops will prevail in the war if they can succeed in securing and bolstering governance in the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar. Mr McCain, who visited Afghanistan's largest city in the south yesterday with two other US lawmakers, warned of tough fighting ahead and predicted that casualties would rise in the short-term. Talking to reporters in Kabul, he said, the Taliban know that Kandahar is the key to success or failure. Mr McCain said, the coalition will succeed in Kandahar and in the rest of this struggle.