The British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has said Britain will keep its current level of 450 troops on non-combat missions in Afghanistan through 2016.
In a written statement to parliament on Tuesday, Fallon said “Both the US and our own decisions underline NATO’s continued commitment to training and assisting Afghan forces as they grow stronger.”
Fallon further added “We have now concluded that we should maintain the scale of the UK’s current military mission in the country in 2016, to help build a secure and stable Afghanistan.”
Praising the Afghan national security forces as “an increasingly professional, competent and dedicated fighting force,” Fallon said “We will continue to help develop Afghanistan’s future military leaders through our work at the Afghan National Army Officer Academy, to build capacity within the Afghan security ministries, and to provide vital support to NATO operations in Kabul.”
The statement by Fallon comes after the United States earlier this month announced that thousands of its troops would stay in Afghanistan longer than promised following intense recent fighting.
Being a part of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission, Britain has lost at least 456 troops in Afghanistan since the beginning of their mission in the country.
Britain is currently engaged in providing training, advice and assistance for the Afghan security forces and institutions together with the 14 member and partner countries forming the Resolute Support mission.
