Britain to keep military troops in Afghanistan until 2016

Britain will keep its current level of 450 troops on non-combat missions in Afghanistan into 2016, Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said in a written statement to parliament.

It comes after President Barack Obama delayed the departure of the US from Afghanistan, saying a force of 5,500 would stay beyond the end of his term of office in 2017.

The Ministry of Defence also said the move comes after a review of the UK’s commitment “in light of the performance” of Afghan security forces.

“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 remain unchanged,” Defence Secretary Michael Fallon told Parliament.

Britain ended combat operations in Afghanistan in October 2014, but kept troops in the country to advise and train Afghan security forces.

Fallon explained that British troops were involved in training Afghan army officers, building capacity in Afghan security ministries and supporting NATO operations in Kabul.

He said UK forces were only performing non-combat roles, including mentoring instructors at the Afghan National Army Officer Academy. “The UK government recognized it would take time for the ANDSF [Afghan national defence and security forces] to develop into a fully fledged fighting force capable of providing complete security for the people of Afghanistan,” he said.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s government welcomed Britain’s decision to continue its military and economic assistance.

“The cooperation is grounded in shared threats and interests between the two governments and peoples. The government of Afghanistan believes that inasmuch as terrorism threatens the region and the world, joint action against this phenomenon can ensure peace in the region,” it said in a statement.

“One of the prerequisites to completely eliminate insecurity and other risks that threaten our country and international partners is the prosperity and economic development of Afghanistan; to that end, the government of Afghanistan thanks its international partners like Britain for their assistance.”