Written question asked by John Hemming (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 29 October 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 2 November 2009. It was answered by Bob Ainsworth (Labour) on Thursday, 12 November 2009 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the political objectives are of the Government's military strategy in Afghanistan; and on what evidential basis the Government evaluate the effectiveness of that strategy in achieving those objectives.

Answer: The document "UK policy in Afghanistan and Pakistan: the way forward" published by the Prime Minister in April sets out HM Government's political objectives in Afghanistan. It can be found at the following link:"http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/204173/afghanistan_pakistan.pdf"As the Prime Minister said in his recent speech, our progress is not measured in enemies killed, or battles won—it must be measured in the progress made each season in improving the quality of life of Afghan citizens, the quality of governance, and the capability of the Afghans to protect themselves—as we slowly but surely make it more and more difficult for the Taliban and al-Qaeda to rebuild their base in Afghanistan and the wider region.

Secondary information