Afghanistan: End of 20-year campaign announced by Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson has reflected on the 20-year campaign in Afghanistan as he updated MPs about Britain’s final military withdrawal from the country.

The Prime Minister told the Commons: “No one should doubt the gains of the last 20 years, but nor can we shrink from the hard reality of the situation today."

Tributes were paid to the 150,000 members of the armed forces that served in Afghanistan, mainly in Helmand province, which was the focus of UK operations from 2006, with a specific heartfelt tribute from the Prime Minister to the 457 British service personnel “who laid down their lives…to keep us safe.”

The Prime Minister added: “I hope that no one will leap to the false conclusion that the withdrawal of our forces somehow means the end of Britain’s commitment to Afghanistan. We are not about to turn away, nor are we under any illusions about the perils of today’s situation and what may lie ahead.

Mr Johnson said the UK would continue to back the Afghan state with over £100m of developmental assistance and £58m for Afghan security forces.

The Prime Minister detailed attacks by al Qaida, including 9/11, before telling the Commons: “The training camps have been destroyed, what remains of al Qaida’s leadership no longer resides in Afghanistan, and no terrorist attacks against Western targets have been mounted from Afghan soil since 2001.

“We should never lose sight of these essential facts"