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Sophia Willitts-King

Part of Shoulder to Shoulder

20th December 2012 Washington DC, USA

Reducing UK presence in Afghanistan, implementing the move to full Afghan control

Yesterday, the UK Prime Minister announced to Parliament plans for a reduction in UK military forces in Afghanistan in 2013. The decision to “draw-down” our forces from 9,000 to around 5,200 reflects the significant progress in transitioning security responsibility to the Afghan government. This is a positive outcome and testament to the effort put in by so many nations.

As NATO Secretary General Rasmussen said at the 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago:

“As Afghan forces stand up, our forces will stand back into a supporting role, concentrating on training, advising and assisting our Afghan partners.”

By the end of 2014, the UK will no longer be in a combat role in Afghanistan. Today’s announcement is about responsible planning, in close co-ordination with our Afghan and wider allies, to get the path to 2014 right.

While some of our troops will be coming home, the UK’s commitment to our shared mission in Afghanistan remains undiminished.

As the Prime Minister said:

“We have been helping to ensure that Afghanistan’s past is not inevitably its future. As we move towards full transition at the end of 2014, it is clear that there remain huge challenges ahead for the Afghan people. … our commitment to them is long term. Progress is clear and measurable and our determination to complete our mission and help Afghanistan secure its future remains undiminished.”

At the 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago, the international community committed $4 billion a year to support security beyond 2014 – with a UK contribution of £70m per year. At the 2012 Tokyo Conference, the international community agreed with the Afghan government to long term development support for the next five years. This includes $178 million per year from the UK, in return for strong commitments from the Afghanis to continue reforms. These commitments and the agreements in place between Afghanistan and the United States, United Kingdom, and others are proof of an enduring commitment to the Afghan people, their neighbours, and the wider region.

And for those of us at home, this announcement also looks ahead to an end of the heart-rending stories of our young men and women giving their lives, or suffering horrendous injuries, for our shared mission, and look forward to welcoming them home. This is a message of hope that is very appropriate in this holiday season.

Further information about UK operations in Afghanistan ›
Learn more about UK efforts to establish stability in Afghanistan ›
Statement from the British Ambassador to Afghanistan ›

About Sophia Willitts-King

Sophia joined the British Embassy in Washington DC in January 2011 as First Secretary, Afghanistan and Pakistan in the Foreign, Security and Policy Group. Her previous work in the Foreign…

Sophia joined the British Embassy in Washington DC in January 2011 as First Secretary, Afghanistan and Pakistan in the Foreign, Security and Policy Group. Her previous work in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office includes a year working on policy towards Greece and Cyprus and 10 months studying Urdu, including seven months living with families in small villages in Pakistan. Taking up a post in the British High Commission in Islamabad, Sophia covered internal politics and human rights during a turbulent period (nuclear testing, the Kargil conflict, the military coup and the 9/11 attacks). During her time in Pakistan, Sophia had the opportunity to travel widely across the country; including to fascinating places such as Waziristan, Quetta, Gwadar, Peshawar and Multan that are now difficult to visit. Sophia then returned to London where she worked in the Iraq Policy Unit, before taking up a job covering the foreign policy aspects of UK defence industrial issues and UK input into the defence aspects of the “European Constitution”. She also worked in the Cabinet Office in charge of the Ministerial committee’s and inter-ministry co-ordination on Iraq, the Middle East and North Africa. She has also served in Kathmandu as the Deputy Head of Mission where she managed the Embassy and led the political team, which was working to support Nepal to complete its peace process, tackle the challenges of the conflict period, and put itself on a path of sustainable development.

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Afghan People Afghan Transition Afghanis Afghanistan British Defence Defence foreign policy military NATO NATO Chicago PM security Tokyo Conference uk