John Baron MP raises mission focus on Afghanistan

MP reminds the Government of the reasons for our Afghan deployment

Yesterday in the House of Commons, during Foreign and Commonwealth Office questions, John Baron MP asked the Minister, Alistair Burt MP, about our mission in Afghanistan.

In the House of Commons, John said,

“The education of girls is of course very laudable, but does the Minister agree that the main reason we are in Afghanistan is to deny that country being used as a base by international terrorists?”

The Minister agreed that our forces were in Afghanistan for our national security.

Afterwards, John said,

“For too long we have confused our mission in Afghanistan. Talk of nation-building, democracy and human rights is very laudable, but knocks us off course from our central mission of denying terrorists a haven.”

“As the Defence Secretary has recently confirmed international terrorism in Afghanistan has largely been eliminated, now is surely the time for unconditional talks with the Taliban to explore possible common ground leading to a political settlement ahead of our withdrawal in 2014.”