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Topical question asked in the House of Commons, by Alison Seabeck (Labour). It was answered on Monday, 13 July 2009 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Topical Questions

Question: As my hon. Friends will know, the British public understand very well how many casualties are occurring among the British forces in the offensive in Afghanistan but are less aware of the losses being experienced by our allies, the Afghans and others—and, indeed, of those being experienced by the Taliban. Are any estimates available?

Answer: I cannot give precise figures, but I think my hon. Friend is right. There have been casualties across the coalition, and their numbers are equally significant to the numbers we have lost. That underlines the fact that we have arrived at a critical phase of the campaign. We are harming the Taliban—that is why they are fighting as strongly as they are—and we need to keep pursuing our current strategy to ensure that we can succeed.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 496 c17-8
Session: 2008-09
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Subjects: Peacekeeping operations Afghanistan MOD Machrihanish
Link: View this Topical question on www.publications.parliament.uk