(2) what discussions he has had with NATO allies on the reported killing by NATO forces of 10 people including eight schoolchildren in the village in Ghazi Khan, Narang District in the eastern province of Kunar, Afghanistan in late December 2009;
(3) what discussions he has had with representatives of the Government of Afghanistan on the reported killing by NATO forces of 10 people including eight schoolchildren in the village in Ghazi Khan, Narang District in the eastern province of Kunar, Afghanistan in late December 2009.
The International Security Assistance Force, of which the UK is an integral part, is deeply saddened by any incident involving civilian deaths. However, this incident occurred outside of the UK Area of Operations and no UK troops were involved. In light of this, and the ongoing investigations into the incident, it is not appropriate for me to comment further.
The net additional costs incurred on military operations in Afghanistan (Operation Herrick) are met by the Reserve and are in addition to the defence budget. The costs that the Department would have incurred regardless of the operation taking place, such as wages and salaries, are not included. Savings on activities that have not occurred because of the operation—for example training exercises—are taken into account in arriving at the net figures. The costs of operations in Afghanistan over the last 12 months fall into two financial years, as set out in the table:
FY2008-09 FY2009-10 Resource Type Final outturn Estimate (as per winter supplementary estimates) Total resource DEL 1,655 2,209 Total capital DEL 968 1,545 Total all DELs 2,623 3,754