§ Mr. Martyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the current numeric strength of the former Taliban regime of Afghanistan in(a) Afghanistan and (b) Pakistan. [158791]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienIt is not easy to distinguish former Taliban and their sympathisers from other groups hostile to the current political process in Afghanistan. We believe that at any given time the number of former Taliban sympathisers in Afghanistan and Pakistan is in the very low thousands. But the remoteness and geography of the Pakistani border region with Afghanistan, the difficulty of maintaining border controls, and the movement of people across the border makes it difficult to give an accurate assessment.
§ Mr. Martyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the current level of co-operation between members of the Pakistani Army and members of the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan. [158792]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienPakistan is a key ally in the war against terror. We strongly support the efforts of the Pakistani Army to round up members of al-Qaeda and extreme elements of the former Taliban regime. The recent military operations into the formerly inaccessible tribal areas bordering Afghanistan are a good example of the commitment of the Pakistani Army in taking action against these groups.