AFGHANISTAN
isolate the insurgents, forcing them outside the major popu- lation areas. All the indications are that the Afghan people wel- come the improved security that NATO can offer; in a recent BBC poll, just 6% of Afghans supported the Taliban. NATO has succeeded in reducing sig- nificantly the level of civilian casualties it causes, although any deaths are too many. Improving access to health-
care and education, child and maternal death rates have fall- en, and basic healthcare now covers 82% of the country and full immunisation of children has trebled since 2003. Youth literacy is rising fast, particular- ly among girls, and has reached 39% up from 31% in 2005. The average Afghan income
has doubled since 2002 and the majority are expecting next year to better this. The econo- my is expected to have grown by 15% in 2009, well ahead of its neighbours. By focussing on developing
the Afghan National Security Forces’ capacity and capabili- ties, we are setting the condi- tions for eventual handover of security responsibility to the Afghans and, ultimately, for the time when international forces will no longer be required in Af- ghanistan. The international commu-
A bomb disposal expert goes to deal with an improvised
explosive device discovered on the track ahead in Helmand
nity fully supports General Mc- Chrystal’s plan. Almost 40,000 additional troops from around 25 countries have been pledged in support. General McChrys- tal’s plan has three phases: Seizing the initiative. General McChrystal has made southern Afghanistan – the heartland of the insurgency – his main effort. The recent operations in Helmand are part of an Af-
86 SHOW YOUR SUPPORT
www.armedforcesday.org.uk
ghan-led, regional campaign design for the south, called Operation Moshtarak, de- signed to secure the ungoverned spaces in Helmand and Kandahar provinces where the Taliban operate, and to improve free- dom of movement in order to stimulate economic growth. These operations are go- ing well, although it is early days. Consolidation. Once areas have been se- cured, it is vital that Afghan and ISAF forces hold the gains, ensuring that the Taliban cannot return, and allowing the Afghan government to progressively introduce governance and economic development, with the support of the international com- munity. Sustained Security. In the longer-term, the intent is to enable the phased hando- ver of security responsibility in support- ing the growth and capacity of the Af- ghan National Security Forces by having ISAF troops live, work, plan, train and fight alongside them. There are currently almost 200,000 Afghan soldiers and po- lice, and we plan to grow the army and the police respectively to 171,600 and 134,000-strong by October 2011. This will provide the means by which the Afghans will in due course be able to ensure their own security and facilitate for themselves improvements in governance and socio- economic development. The UK is fully committed to the inter-
national community’s efforts in Afghani- stan and to General McChrystal’s plan. We are ISAF’s second largest contributor after the US. Afghanistan is the main ef- fort of the MOD, and has priority for re- sources. We currently have around 9,500 troops deployed in Afghanistan, and have made a massive investment in re- cent years in state-of-the-art equipment, which is improving all the time. We have spent over £1bn on over 1,000 protected vehicles to protect our people from IEDs, and have almost doubled the number of helicopters in Afghanistan since 2006. We currently spend around £400,000 per year on equipment and support for each indi- vidual serviceman or woman deployed in Afghanistan – an increase of more than double from three years ago. •
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