Why we are in Afghanistan

we never again want to see Afghanistan become the haven for terrorists that proved so destructive in the past, to Afghanistan and to the world
we want to see a stable country playing a constructive role in an important region that impacts directly on the UK's national security
we have a moral obligation to help Afghanistan rebuild itself as a nation after decades of damaging conflict.

Is there a strategy for our involvement in Afghanistan?

On 12 December 2007 the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, made a statement to Parliament, laying out the next steps for our support of Afghanistan. He set out a comprehensive framework for security, political, social and economic development.

The Prime Minister said: 'For 6 years, 38 countries have come together with the people and the Government of Afghanistan, to rebuild their state, to prevent the return of the Taleban and to root out Al Qaeda'.

He made clear that we would continue to meet our obligations, to honour our commitments and to carry out our duties to the people of Afghanistan.

He then went on to outline the next steps in our strategy - the key points were:

encouraging and supporting more Afghan ownership, including of the security effort
supporting the Government of Afghanistan as they seek to build democracy and governance at local levels
backing the Government of Afghanistan's attempts to dismantle the insurgency through a politically led approach
helping the Afghan government meet the demands of the Afghan people by backing initiatives that encourage economic regeneration and social/ economic development.