Afghanistan

Lord Rosser Excerpts

Wednesday 19th December 2012 Lords Chamber

[Lord Rosser]

My Lords, I thank the Minister for repeating the Statement made earlier today in the other place by the Secretary of State. These updates on the situation in Afghanistan provide us with a welcome opportunity to express again our continuing appreciation of the bravery and commitment shown by our Armed Forces. It is also a sombre opportunity, particularly as we approach Christmas and prepare to celebrate it with our families, to remember and reflect on the sacrifices made by members of our Armed Forces who have lost their lives or suffered life-changing injuries, whether physical or mental, in the service of our country.

The commitment to success in Afghanistan runs deep on all sides of the House, and while we on these Benches will scrutinise government decisions we will support the intentions with which they are made. Afghanistan has seen significant but not irreversible progress. Al-Qaeda has been dispersed, we have overseen elections, the army and police forces are being trained and the rule of law is evolving. None of these tasks, however, can be said to be complete. There are immense challenges to overcome. Facilitating free and fair presidential elections, tackling green-on-blue attacks, improving the representativeness of the police and the army, developing an education system and, above all, helping to deliver political reconciliation are all issues which necessitate our commitment up to and beyond 2014.

We all want to see our troops home as soon as possible and we welcome today’s announcement. When will the Minister be able to tell us which units will leave and from which part of Helmand? We are all concerned about the continuing risk to UK personnel who will remain, so can he say whether any force protection capabilities will be drawn down as a consequence of today’s announcement? Can he give an assurance that the full current range of facilities and amenities available to our forces in Afghanistan, including medical facilities, will continue to be provided for our remaining Armed Forces once the reduction in the overall size of our forces in Afghanistan commences?

The Minister spoke in general terms; however, can he be more specific about how the capacity of those departing can be sufficiently replaced by Afghan forces? Can he give the House more detail on the capability of the Afghan forces, specifically on what capacity they have in providing an air bridge, aerial surveillance and intelligence? He told us, in repeating the Statement, that 3,800 of our forces will leave by the end of next year. Does he currently envisage most remaining until the end of the fighting season and does he now expect the remaining UK forces, post-2013, to be withdrawn throughout 2014 or to remain until the end of combat operations?

Can the Minister say whether he envisages any circumstances that might lead to the decision announced today being changed or reversed? The co-ordination of the military coalition is essential, so is this part of a synchronised set of announcements? Once the reduction in our Armed Forces in Afghanistan begins, will our remaining forces continue to undertake their current roles and responsibilities—albeit on a scaled-down basis—or will the roles and responsibilities of our Armed Forces change from what they are at present?

There are currently some members of our Reserve Forces in Afghanistan. Will it be the intention to continue to deploy Reserve Forces as our Armed Forces in Afghanistan are reduced, or will members of our Reserve Forces no longer be deployed once the reductions start? Can the Minister also say whether all those who will be returning from Afghanistan, whether in 2013 or 2014, will be exempt from any future tranche of compulsory Armed Forces redundancies?

While the focus is rightly on withdrawal, it is also necessary to consider the post-2014 military settlement, which was referred to in the Statement. The Chief of the General Staff is right when he says that our commitment to Afghan institutions must be long-term, but we need more clarity on the nature of that commitment. Can the Minister therefore be more specific about the role of non-combat personnel? Is it current thinking that our trainers will be embedded with the ANSF and, if so, who will have responsibility for force protection?

It is still unclear how many UK forces will remain post-2014 or from which services they will be drawn. When will the Minister be in a position to give us greater detail on this, as well as on the UK’s equipment legacy to Afghanistan? I appreciate that firm decisions may almost certainly not have been made on these aspects, but if he is able to provide some more detail it would be extremely helpful. I accept that if he is able to do so, it may well be in writing subsequently.

We all know that a long-term settlement for Afghanistan will be achieved through politics rather than just military might. There have been recent reports of a “road map to peace” from Afghanistan’s High Peace Council, outlining plans for talks between the Afghan Government and the Taliban early next year. What confidence does the Minister have that such talks may indeed take place, and can he say whether he believes talks between the Taliban and US officials will recommence in Qatar in the new year? Can he also comment on the significance of Pakistan releasing a number of Afghan prisoners, and whether he sees that as marking a potentially significant shift in the Afghanistan-Pakistan relationship?

One of the main measures by which we will judge progress in Afghanistan will be the progress of women, to which the Minister referred in repeating the Statement. Sadly, a detailed recent UN report showed that Afghan women remain frequent victims of abuse. What efforts are the UK Government making, beyond those that the Minister referred to, to ensure that women’s safety does not deteriorate once ISAF forces have left? In particular, what are the Government doing to bring more women into the political process, the police and the judiciary?

Finally, as we enter what I believe to be the 12th and penultimate year of UK combat operations in this bloody but unavoidable conflict, there will rightly be lessons and consequences from Afghanistan. The time will also come for us to reflect as a nation on how we mark in a lasting way our commemoration of the fallen and injured. I look forward to the Minister’s replies about how NATO achieves withdrawal while maintaining the stability that so many have fought for. We need to get this right, since none of us has any intention of there ever being another conflict in Afghanistan.