The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-09-12.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the current security situation in Afghanistan and the stability of that country.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The security situation in Afghanistan remains challenging. It is the second year of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces’ (ANDSF) independent operations and their capability continues to gradually improve. The work of NATO’s non-combat advisory mission, Resolute Support, remains critical to this effort. In 2016, ANDSF have faced particular pressure from the insurgency in Helmand and Kunduz. Where significant population centres have been threatened, government forces have repelled Taleban assaults.
At the Warsaw Summit in July 2016, NATO agreed to sustain Resolute Support’s “Train, Advise and Assist” mission through 2017. Donors also pledged around $4.5bn in funding to the ANDSF through to 2020 and reaffirmed NATO’s Enduring Partnership with Afghanistan. This clear signal of international resolve demonstrates our collective commitment to safeguarding the gains made in Afghanistan and to supporting the Government of Afghanistan to deliver security for its citizens.
HMG Ministers will be discussing these issues, and related development issues, with partners at the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan on 4-5 October.
