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Ministry of Defence

Answer

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the current security situation in Afghanistan. [8357] Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the security situation in Afghanistan. [8386] Mr. Hoon: For three weeks, United States and British forces have been engaged in military action against Usama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda terrorist network and the Taliban regime that shelters them in Afghanistan. The aims of the military action are clear: to destroy the terrorist camps; to pressure the Taliban regime to end its support for Usama bin Laden; and to create the right conditions for future operations in Afghanistan to maintain that pressure. We have achieved the first and third of these objectives. The terrorist camps that were known to be in use at the start of military campaign have successfully been put out of action. The coalition has achieved air superiority at medium and high level. We are also making good progress against the second objective. We are now focusing on Taliban forces in the field, weakening their ability to retain control of key points of Afghanistan.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

8386; 373 c508W;373 c508-9W

Session

2001-02

Question not reached

Yes

Subjects

Armed conflict Military alliances Terrorism Afghanistan al Qaeda Taliban

Link

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