A British think-tank has said that the US-led coalition's strategy in Afghanistan is too ambitious and instead should counter the threat of militant attacks along the Afghan-Pakistan border. International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said in its latest survey report that for Western states to be pinned down militarily and psychologically in Afghanistan will not be in the service of their wider political and security interests. IISS Director-General John Chipman told a news conference in London that the coalition's original goal of defeating al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and preventing its return had ballooned into a comprehensive strategy to develop and modernise Afghanistan. He said that defeat of the Taliban insurgency was seen as virtually synonymous with the defeat of al-Qaeda, even though much of its organised capacities had been displaced to Pakistan.