Panetta Downplays Afghan Insider Attacks as "Last Gasps" of Taliban

Are "last gasps" the same as "death throes"?

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has described attacks by members of the Afghan security forces on coalition troops as the Taliban's "last gasp".

Afghan forces are re-vetting their police officers and soldiers, and have already taken several hundred off active service, the coalition said.

Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the coalition's transfer of control to Afghans in 2014 remained on track.