David Cameron pledges extra £67m for British troops on first visit to Afghanistan as PM
Daily Mail
www.dailymail.co.uk
10th June 2010

David Cameron today announced an extra £67million in funding for British troops in Afghanistan on his first visit to the country since taking office. The Prime Minister arrived in the capital Kabul on board a Hercules from RAF Lyneham to hold talks with President Hamid Karzai earlier today.

Speaking alongside Mr Karzai  after a meeting at the presidential palace, Mr Cameron said the money would be spent on countering the threat from improvised explosive devices. He said the government would be doubling the number of British teams dealing with explosive devices.

Mr Cameron said: 'For me, the issue of Afghanistan is the most important foreign policy issue, the most important national security issue for my country. My biggest duty as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is to our armed forces, to make sure that they have all the equipment and all the protection they need to do the absolutely vital job that they are doing here in Afghanistan.

He added: "I think there is progress being made, and we discussed that in our meeting, particularly progress that has been made in terms of driving al Qaida both out of Afghanistan and actually seriously damaging its interests in Pakistan.

"It is through that prism of national security that I want to see this whole issue. Our overriding focus must be to help the Afghans and to help Afghanistan to take control of its own security and its own destiny. That should be our focus - a relentless focus on building up the Afghan National Army and helping the construction of a good and decent police force.'

Mr Cameron said that alongside the Nato-led military surge which has been under way for six months, there must be a 'proper political settlement'. He welcomed last week's Kabul peace meeting - or jirga - at which Mr Karzai discussed proposals to encourage elements of the Taliban to rejoin the political mainstream.

He added: 'I've described this year - and the President, I know, agrees - in terms of the Nato mission in Afghanistan as the vital year. This is the year when we have to make progress - progress for the sake of the Afghan people, but progress also on behalf of people back at home who want this to work.'

He also announced additional aid funding for Afghanistan to build up its army, police and civil service capacity in what he said was 'the vital year' to make progress in stabilising the country. Describing relations between the two countries as 'very, very important', Mr Cameron said he regarded Afghanistan as Britain's most important foreign policy and national security issue.

Since assuming the premiership a month ago, Mr Cameron has been determined to stress that the country - where 10,000 British troops are engaged in fighting the Taliban - is his number one foreign policy priority.

Mr Cameron has already met Mr Karzai once, at his country residence, Chequers, as well as speaking to him by telephone.

He also despatched a high-level ministerial delegation - comprising Foreign Secretary William Hague, Defence Secretary Liam Fox and International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell - to assess the situation for themselves.

Mr Cameron's visit was being seen in Whitehall as rounding off a period of assessment and taking stock. It is not thought that the new coalition Government is facing any immediate decisions in relation to Britain's military commitment in the country.

Earlier this week, following talks with US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, Dr Fox made clear that he had no plans to switch British forces from Helmand - where the bulk are deployed - to Kandahar where the Americans are preparing a major offensive. President Barak Obama has given US commander General Stanley McChrystal until the end of the year to assess whether his troop 'surge' is working and when they can start drawing down forces.