Still, all military forces, no matter how small, face the same privacy issues.

For the moment, the forces facing each other are far from equal in power.

The forces control about 10 percent of the country and face a Taliban force estimated at 40,000 men.

But American forces had faced odds like that before and won.

The result was that American forces faced "significant resistance," the president said.

But the 55,000-man armed forces also are facing growing constraints.

He said the majority of conventional forces facing each other were outside the coalition's area.

The opposing forces will face off once again, if less ominously, next month.

These are the same difficulties that Israeli forces have faced for decades.

The American forces are facing organized resistance that comes alive at night.