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Afghanistan: Peace Keeping Operations

Volume 457: debated on Monday 5 March 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department’s assessment is of the security risk presented by the revival of the Taliban in Afghanistan. (123639)

We assess that the Taliban retain the capability and the intent to attack the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Afghan security forces, aid workers and civilian targets across a broad area of southern and eastern Afghanistan. ISAF forces keep the threat posed by the Taliban and insurgent groups under constant review. The uplift in forces announced recently is aimed at defeating this Taliban capability and consolidating the excellent work carried out by ISAF to date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British servicemen and women have been injured in Afghanistan since (a) special forces were deployed in 2001 and (b) the armed forces were deployed in 2002. (123640)

Casualty data for operations in Afghanistan since 1 January 2006 are available on the MOD website at http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/OperationsFactsheets. We intend to provide further information on casualties in Afghanistan prior to 2006 on the MOD website later this month. Our initial priority is to publish information for seriously injured (SI) and very seriously injured (VSI) casualties, with further information to be released in due course. I will write to my hon. Friend when this exercise has been completed. It is MOD policy not to comment on special forces matters.