French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said on Sunday many Taliban fighters are crossing from Pakistan to stage attacks inside Afghanistan. Alliot-Marie said the NATO-led force assuming command in insurgency-hit southern Afghanistan from Monday would need better cooperation from Pakistan. "We need real cooperation from Pakistan, but it seems very difficult for them. The border is a very difficult region and we ask Pakistan to make some more effort to control it," she told reporters in Kabul. "We think a lot of Taliban fighters are coming from Pakistan to Afghanistan."On Monday, the 18,000-strong NATO formally takes command in the volatile south of the country from a US-led anti-terror coalition. About 8,000 mostly British, Canadian and Dutch troops have deployed there in recent months. The Taliban have stepped up attacks this year, and hundreds of insurgents have been killed in fighting with the international forces.