§ Mr. ChidgeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people have so far been recruited to(a) the armed forces and 902W (b) the police force in Afghanistan; how many of these recruits to the Afghan armed forces and police force have been retained (i) during the training and (ii) after the training has been completed; and how he intends to improve the retention of new recruits to the Afghan armed forces and police force. [162939]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienA total of 13.656 personnel have so far been recruited to the Afghan National Army (ANA). 8,912 have completed training and are now serving with deployed units, 1,589 are currently in training and a further 1,240 are at the initial processing stage. A total of 20,000 personnel have been or are being trained for the Afghan National Police (ANP) force. We do not have exact figures for retention in the ANP but overall retention rates appear better than in the ANA. Both army and police training are being accelerated following a recent significant increase in resources from the US.
International assistance for Afghanistan on army and police training is led by the US and Germany respectively. The UK has provided substantial assistance in both fields, elements of which should directly support retention. Support for ANA development has included £830,000 for refurbishment of ANA barracks to provide decent living and working conditions. We are in the process of providing a further £10 million to develop ANA recruitment centres. The UK provided basic assistance to the ANP to help ensure the retention of national police deployed in Mazar-e Sharif (where our Provincial Reconstruction Team is located). In addition, the UK has provided nearly £1 million of support to German-led refurbishment of the Afghan Border Police Headquarters in Kabul.
§ Mr. ChidgeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what policies are in place to prevent violence targeted against humanitarian aid workers in Afghanistan. [162968]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienOfficials from the FCO, DflD and the MoD regularly meet representatives of the British Afghanistan Agencies Group to discuss a range of issues including security.
We and our international partners are committed to helping the Afghan Government improve the security situation in Afghanistan. In October 2003, the UN Security Council extended the mandate of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force beyond Kabul. Work is in hand to expand the network of Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) deployed across Afghanistan, including in the south and southeast. PRTs aim to support the authority of the Afghan Government, improve the security situation, facilitate development and reconstruction, and support Security Sector Reform. In the long-term Afghanistan must have an effective national army and police force. Work to recruit and train them has been under way for some time, with our active support and involvement. A wider programme of Security Sector Reform is also underway, including the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of former combatants.