10 December 2007
The Prime Minister reaffirmed Britain’s commitment to Afghanistan on security and economic development issues in a press conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Read the transcript
President Karzai:
(Interpretation)
And welcome Mr Prime Minister.
Prime Minister:
President Karzai, Ladies and Gentlemen, can I say first of all what a privilege it is to be here in Kabul with President Karzai and with his Ministers, to be able to pay tribute to the government of Afghanistan for what you are achieving, for building a democracy, for the economic and social development that you are making possible by the decisions that you have made, and for continuing to fight against terrorist enemies who threaten not only your country but are dangerous to the whole world.
I have come from Helmand Province today where I have met our own troops, and we continue to make our commitment to the building of Afghanistan with the presence of British troops in support of the coalition effort. And we will continue not only to give support in terms of our forces here who are doing a brilliant job in support of democracy in Afghanistan, but we will also continue to give support for economic development, for the building of schools, for the development of healthcare, for the creation of small businesses, for the rebuilding and reconstruction of the economy of this country. And I want to give President Karzai my assurance that our support will continue over these next years to make it possible for not only the security of the Afghan people, but also the economic and social development of your country so that people can have a stake in the future.
As you know, today British forces are working with the Afghan forces in Musa Qala to work against the Taliban enemy and I believe that this is something where, working together, we can make a difference. This was a decision made by the Afghan leadership itself that action had to be taken. This is an action that while involving British, American and other forces, is an action that is led on the ground by Afghan forces themselves. And when action is finally achieved against the Taliban and they are excluded from this area we will be ready to support the economic and social development of the communities with projects and with support for local government in the area, and that will be something that we hope to be able to start immediately that success of this operation is achieved.
We know that two of our British soldiers have died in the last two days. We acknowledge their tremendous contribution and their dedication and bravery. This is a very important mission and we will continue to give it support, and support the Afghan forces, and support obviously the Afghan decisions that have been made that we must take action against the Taliban now.
In all other areas, in economic and social development, and in the support of local as well as national government, we are determined to give more support in the times to come. And on this, Mr President, I will make a statement to the House of Commons when I return, following up some of the matters that we have talked about and making our decisions about what more we can do to be of help to you, and we will be able to announce these decisions on Wednesday.
Can I thank your Ministers for their hospitality to me and I can thank you, having met you in London only a few weeks ago, to be able to meet you now and to be able to support your efforts is something that gives me a great deal of pleasure. Thank you very much.
Question:
Prime Minister you said you are ready to support economic and social development immediately in Musa Qala once there is a military victory there. But of course Musa Qala was won and lost before. The Taliban returned. So I suppose the question is how do you ensure this time that you win the bigger battle of hearts and minds and that the Taliban can’t return? And I wonder also, you were in Iraq yesterday and I wonder if I sense a common theme that in Iraq you were talking about the draw-down of troops because of the handover of Basra Province to the Iraqis, and I wonder if the battle for Musa Qala might see the beginning of a similar process in Afghanistan where we see a troop reduction, or are you expecting an increase in the number of British troops in Afghanistan?
Prime Minister:
What is happening in Musa Qala, as you have indicated, is very important in the fight against the Taliban and we will give what support we can, as are the Americans and as are other members of the coalition, to make sure that this is successfully executed over the next few days. We are there in support of an Afghan decision that action had to be taken, and we are there in support of the Afghan forces that are showing that they are in the lead of taking action at a local level. When that action is completed we will give support for the economic and social development of the area. And I just say, when you ask what has happened over the last year, this action has been taken in response to the demands of local people, local Afghan people, that the Taliban be excluded from this area and this action is therefore not only a decision that has been made by the government itself, but leadership from the Afghan forces that it is Afghan people at a local level who want us to take action against the Taliban.
As far as the numbers of British forces are concerned, the numbers have already been given, they are around 7,800 at the moment and will be around that level in the foreseeable future. I think the important thing however to stress is we are doing a job in Afghanistan in support of the Afghan people. We wish to help train Afghan security, police and military forces to enable them to progressively take more control over their own affairs. This action in Musa Qala is an example of how Afghan forces working with British and other forces can make a difference. And there is no doubt that succeeding in Musa Qala will make a huge difference both to how people see the weakness of the Taliban in the future and the ability of the government to build not just militarily and politically, but with social and economic progress for the people of the area.
Question:
(Interpretation)
Prime Minister:
We have to deal with terrorists from whatever quarter they come, and where they are active, as in Musa Qala, the important thing is that the action is taken. As far as the issues in the whole region are concerned, I have no doubt, as I know President Karzai has no doubt, that we need regional cooperation at the highest possible level to deal with the issues that arise from al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. And of course in my conversations with President Musharraf I will talk to him, and have talked to him, about these issues. I think the important lesson of the last few years is that we need to build the regional cooperation that is necessary to deal with that terrorist problem.
Question:
The reports from Musa Qala today are that the city has in fact fallen following negotiations with militants in the town. My question is to what extent will you go on negotiating with the Taliban, at what level do you stop? There have been reports that you are even willing to speak with Mullah Omar.
President Karzai:
Ma’am, our decision to go into Musa Qala developed about two and a half months ago in the consequence of a meeting that I had with one of the citizens of (inaudible) near Musa Qala. This man was in Kabul for five months trying to meet with me. He had finally found (inaudible) who contacted me and said that there is a man whose house and family had been destroyed in an aerial bombing in pursuit of the Taliban in which the man lost 19 of his children. I called him the next day for a meeting and did whatever help we could provide from the Afghan government. The next day when he was leaving he said: “Mr President, why don’t you liberate us from the Taliban and the foreigners with them, the al Qaeda and the terrorists?” I said: “But that will cost lives and we don’t want to cause any more loss of life there.” He said: “Mr President we are in an extremely difficult situation. There is immense - immense - brutality committed against us.” And I said: “Give me an example.” And he said that 20 days, or the night before his meeting with me, in Musa Qala the Taliban, or those working in the name of the Taliban, al Queda and their associates, went to a house and took a 15 year old boy and took the boy to another place, to a room, and they held him from the ceiling of the room alive and put two gas cylinders next to him and put the cylinders on fire, closed the door behind that boy. The next morning they took the mother of the child, of the teenager, and told her that her son is in that room and that she can pick him up. And when she entered the room she found the charcoaled dead body of her son.
I couldn’t believe this story. And then he said: “Mr President, do you now recognise what we are going through? So please come and liberate us.” And then I began to talk to people. While I was doing that I saw more contacts from Musa Qala from people there and from some of the Afghan Taliban who had also witnessed atrocities like that. They came and they met with me and they asked me to intervene and that they would switch sides, and that is what has happened.
Prime Minister:
I have no doubt that this exercise against the Taliban is going to succeed. I have every confidence in the combined work of the Afghan forces, the British forces and the American forces as well. What the President is describing is action that had to be taken, and has been taken, and we will build on that by making sure that there are projects that make it clear that the economic and social progress of this area will follow the exclusion of the Taliban.
President Karzai:
Absolutely.
Question:
Prime Minister how long do you expect the commitment of British forces to last in Afghanistan? It is going to be a commitment of some years isn’t it? And a question for you Mr President. Do you want to see more foreign forces coming here to help you secure this country?
President Karzai:
We would like to have forces enough to secure Afghanistan against atrocities from terrorism. At the same time we would like to have the international community continue to add to the building of the Afghan forces, continue to add to the Afghanisation of this whole exercise so that Afghanistan can be ready in time to take on the responsibility of defending the Afghan country with Afghan institutions and with Afghan ability. Until then we would continue to need the backing and the support of the international community for building Afghanistan, its institutions, its infrastructure and also for continuing to fight to build defeat of terrorism.
Prime Minister:
Our aim is exactly as the President describes, that we wish the Afghan forces to be in a position themselves to progressively take over the security of the country both militarily and by the policing. I will make a statement in the House of Commons on Wednesday about what we can do in future to be of assistance to Afghanistan. But I think the important thing we have learned over the last few days with Musa Qala is that where we can work together, and progressively Afghan forces are in the lead, that is to the benefit of both the action against the Taliban and to the unity of this country. So we will work together to progressively create a situation where more and more the Afghan security forces are in the lead.
President Karzai:
Exactly.
Question:
(Interpretation)
President Karzai:
(Interpretation)
Prime Minister:
Just very briefly, we are taking on the Taliban in all areas where we have got responsibility and now with the Afghan government and we have agreed that action has to be taken in Musa Qala, the action has been taken. And I think you will see in the next few days that this will be effective, that it will work and bring long term and lasting results, both because of the way the action has been taken and because we are determined to back up the military and security action with other measures in social and economic policy that will help the people of the area.
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