29th January 2010

Afghanistan

Issue

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Key points

Today's London conference is about the UK's national security, and that of the rest of the international community.

We know there are terrorist groups with plans to threaten Britain. The Afghanistan and Pakistan border areas where our armed forces are serving with such distinction remain the area of most concern, but over the last 18 months we have also been increasingly concerned about Yemen and Somalia.

Yesterday's Yemen meeting was the first international gathering to discuss how we can help Yemen fight the terrorist cells that have found haven there.

Today's London conference on Afghanistan - attended by President Karzai, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon and representatives from more than 60 nations and organisations - will be and must be a turning point for the political and civilian surge in Afghanistan to complement the military surge.

We have a plan for strengthening the Afghan forces - a new agreed target of 300,000 (Army and police) by 2011, backed by an additional 30,000 US and 9,000 other international troops since last autumn. The transition plan for the handover of security responsibility to Afghans is agreed and on track to start late this year. The stronger military forces and security plan will allow the reintegration from a position of strength of those prepared to renounce violence - and there will be clear red lines. All this will be backed by renewed vigour on anti-corruption, sub-national governance, and development; and by stronger civilian coordination.

We are always on alert, vigilant against those who seek to destroy democracy and our way of life - and our response, as the PM set out last week and as we are demonstrating this week, spans both action at home - stronger policing, stronger borders, and other measures, but also action abroad, leading the international effort to tackle terrorism and its causes - because these are not alternatives, but vital complementary parts of our strategy.