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| Afghanistan |
| Britain to keep troops in Afghanistan through 2016 |
| 2015-10-28 |
| LONDON: Britain will extend its military presence in Afghanistan by a year due to the ongoing security challenge faced by Afghan forces, Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said on Tuesday. The defense secretary said Britain will extend the stay of about 450 soldiers in Afghanistan throughout 2016, following a similar announcement by the United States to extend its military presence there. British military personnel will continue to carry out noncombat roles, including the training of the Afghan army and supporting NATO operations in Kabul, Fallon said. He said the decision follows a review of Britain’s commitment “in light of the performance” of Afghan security forces and the overall security situation in Afghanistan. The soldiers were due to leave the country by the end of this year. The Taliban has launched sustained attacks since the withdrawal of most foreign troops late last year, straining the limited resources of Afghan forces. Many districts across the country are now fully or partially under Taliban control. “The UK government recognized it would take time for the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces to develop into a fully-fledged fighting force capable of providing complete security for the people of Afghanistan,” Fallon said in a statement. President Barack Obama announced earlier this month that the US will keep 5,500 troops in Afghanistan when he leaves office in 2017, giving US forces more time to train the Afghan Army and keep up the hunt for remnants of the Al-Qaeda network. Obama said security in Afghanistan remains fragile and could deteriorate in some places. Britain, a partner in the US-led coalition that fought the Taliban in Afghanistan following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, formally ended its 13-year campaign in October 2014 though it kept several hundred soldiers there in advisory roles. Almost 150,000 Britons served in the conflict, and 456 died. Fallon said the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) had been “tested” over the last year but were increasingly professional and competent. “The UK Government recognised it would take time for the ANDSF to develop into a fully-fledged fighting force capable of providing complete security for the people of Afghanistan,” Fallon said in a written statement to Parliament. “We have now concluded that we should maintain the scale of the UK’s current military mission in the country in 2016, to help build a secure and stable Afghanistan. The scope and role of the UK mission are unchanged.” Britain had previously committed to keeping troops in Afghanistan until the end of this year. It has around 450 troops involved in training at the Afghan National Army Officer Academy, working with the Afghan security ministries, and supporting NATO operations in Kabul. The decision follows an announcement by President Barack Obama earlier this month that the US would slow the pace of troop withdrawal due to the “very fragile” security situation there. British troops ended their combat operations in Afghanistan in October last year, 13 years after the US-led invasion which launched a long and costly war against the Taliban. |
| Posted by:badanov |
| #1 Sure to make PUTIN + CHINA happy until the Gonads of the Bammer's post-November 2016/january 2017 POTUS Successor can be assessed nby International Analysts. In the meantime ... * BIGNEWSNETWORK > RUSSIAN FSB HEAD WARNS OF GROWING CIS SECURITY THREAT, from the ISIS/ISIL + similar Islamist-Jihadist Hard Boyz. ARTIC = RUS FSB CHIEF ALEKSANDR BORTNIKOV ADMITS THAT RUSSIA'S AIRSTIKES IN SYRIA IS INTENDED, AMONG OTHER, TO PREVENT RECRUITS FOR THE ISIS/ISIL FROM RUSSIA + EX-SOVIET SSRS/STANS FROM RETURNING HOME. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2015-10-28 23:57 |