§ Mr. WigginTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British special force troops remain in Afghanistan. [123594]
§ Mr. IngramIt is Government policy not to comment on the United Kingdom Special Forces, therefore I am withholding this information under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, which covers defence, security and international relations.
§ Mr. BellinghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on Afghan heroin production levels(a) before and (b) since the invasion by coalition forces; what steps are being taken by British forces to reduce heroin production; and how effective these steps have been. [123198]
§ Mr. IngramThe United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, which conducts an annual survey into the level of opium poppy production in Afghanistan, has reported levels of production as follows:
Tonnes 2000 3,300 2001 185 2002 3,400 We are engaged in helping to train the Afghan Transitional Administration's security forces. By doing so, we help to create the structures by which the Afghans themselves can implement more effectively President Karzai's commitment to deal with the drugs trade in his country.