The prime minister’s visit to Afghanistan so early in this parliament is to be applauded as is his announcement of funding to counter the threat of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Every life that is lost in Afghanistan is a tragedy and we must do all we can to protect our Armed Forces as they put their lives on the line to protect us.
The Taliban know that they cannot defeat our troops head to head – that’s why they’ve turned increasingly to “asymmetric” tactics like laying IEDs. These are deadly, indiscriminate weapons – maiming and killing soldiers and Afghan civilians and we must do everything possible to counter them.
That’s why last year we announced £150 million investment over three years in new counter-IED facilities for training and intelligence. David Cameron’s announcement today builds on that and also clearly demonstrates that when it comes to supporting our troops and protecting our national security there are many things that all parties, no matter what their political persuasion, agree on.
Afghanistan rightly remains the focus of the new government. The reason we are there is to protect Britain’s national security and prevent Afghanistan from ever again becoming a safe haven for terrorists – we must never forget that. But Liam Fox’s suggestion a few weeks ago that we should not have any development goals for Afghanistan, alongside our military and political mission, is wrong.
As the preamble to the Afghan National Development Strategy puts it: ‘There can be no government without an army, no army without money, no money without prosperity, and no prosperity without justice and good administration’ – a comprehensive approach marrying security, development and political efforts together is the only way forward. So I am relieved that today David Cameron rejected the short-sighted analysis of his Defence Secretary and re-emphasised the importance of our aid efforts, alongside our efforts to build up Afghanistan’s army and police, to contribute to the stabilisation of the country.
There is no denying the challenges we face in Afghanistan but there is also no denying the huge progress that has been made. This is an incredibly important year for the future of Afghanistan and whole world will be watching the Kabul conference in July and the elections in September.
Nobody wants our troops to stay in Afghanistan a day longer than necessary but the Afghans are not yet strong enough to prevent their territory being used as a base for terrorists. When they are, our troops can come home, but in the meantime we must do all we can to support them both in Afghanistan and at home.