The UK is committed to the “long-term success” of Afghanistan and will not allow the Taliban to regain control, the PM has said.

In a joint press conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Mr Brown said that the UK’s efforts in Afghanistan were a “top foreign policy priority” and that he was determined that the country “should never be a failed state again”.

The PM said:

“Afghanistan is the front line against the Taliban. We cannot allow the Taliban to be back in control of such an important country. The work that has been done in the last six years to build a democracy is an important bulwark against terrorism everywhere in the world.

“We know that the long-term solutions are not simply defence and security. We are determined to work with the Afghan government to make sure the people have a stake in the future of Afghanistan.”
 

Speaking to journalists in the Number 10 conference, the Prime Minister added that “combined efforts” had put the Taliban on the defensive and established Afghanistan as an “important bulwark” against terrorism. He called upon the international community to share the “long-term burden” of making the country a success.

Mr Karzai, who won the presidential election in 2004, echoed the Prime Minister’s call for international assistance while promising progress on Afghanistan’s drive to take a greater role in security operations.

He said:

“Burden sharing is necessary if we in the international community are to succeed against terror. Is it time to leave Afghanistan? No. Is it time to add more responsibility to the Afghan people? Yes.”

Both leaders also stressed the importance of economic reconstruction, particularly projects aimed at bringing electricity and irrigation to rural areas, and the expansion of education to children denied access to schooling under the Taliban regime