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UK to maintain military presence in Afghanistan

Britain will maintain its presence of around 450 troops. Credit: PA

The UK should maintain is to maintain its current military mission in Afghanistan in 2016, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has said.

The commitment means around 450 troops will remain in Afghanistan for at least another year.

Making the announcement in a written statement, Fallon said Afghan forces had "shown themselves to be an increasingly professional, competent and dedicated fighting force", but said it would take time for them to provide "complete security" to the nation alone.

We therefore made plans to review our commitment in light of its performance over the year and the overall security situation.

I would like to inform the House that 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.

The scope and role of the UK mission are unchanged.

– Michael Fallon

The decision follows President Obama’s announcement on 15 October that the US is delaying the drawdown of its troops.