John Baron MP questions Defence Secretary over capability of Afghan forces once ISAF leaves

MP stresses need to drop preconditions to Taliban talks

Today in the House of Commons the Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP, the Secretary of State for Defence, made a statement on British troop levels in Afghanistan. John Baron MP took the opportunity to press him over the need for non-conditional talks with the enemy. To date, ISAF policy has been that they will only talk with the enemy if they lay down their arms and accept the Afghan Constitution. A series of recent events suggests the insurgency has not been beaten.

John asked,

“I pay tribute to our troops, but I continue to have grave doubts about the capability of Afghan forces once ISAF ceases combat operations. What scope exists to drop the unrealistic preconditions to talks with the enemy in order to explore possible common ground – particularly given the fundamental differences between the Taliban and al-Qaeda?”

“Those of us who served in Northern Ireland showed, I hope, that you can talk and fight at the same time.”

The Secretary of State for Defence replied that the Afghan security forces were becoming more capable of holding their own, and reiterated the Government’s support for the reconciliation process.

John said afterwards,

“Anybody who believes that the enemy has been beaten, and should therefore lay down their arms and accept the Constitution, is living in a parallel universe. We need to hold non-conditional talks. The soldiers have done their bit. It is now time for the politicians to step up to the plate.”