KABUL, Afghanistan -U.S. and NATO officials claimed Sunday that insurgents in Afghanistan are facing financial problems and are in a weakened state after a fierce summer of fighting.

In recent weeks, U.S. and coalition troops have launched several large scale clearing operations to drive the Taliban out of key areas in Southern Afghanistan.

In an effort to support their claims, U.S. and NATO officials released a new Taliban recruiting video.

In the highly produced film, a Taliban commander is shown asking for money to buy IED supplies for suicide bombers. However, instead of requesting money from Afghans, the commander appeals to Muslims in the Gulf States and Southwest Asia to donate.

According to independent analysts, the Taliban has long been supported by Arabs in the Middle East, so verifying US and NATO claims that this plea for cash is evidence that the Taliban are in financial straights is impossible.

As the White House and Pentagon begin their December review of the current US strategy in Afghanistan, US commanders have publically stated the surge of US troops is beginning to show positive results.

But even the most optimistic commanders urge caution- saying that “the real test will come next summer as insurgents return to Afghanistan after spending the winter in Pakistan.”