Afghanistan ‘will require funding until 2025’

AFGHANISTAN will need financial and military support for many years after a 2014 deadline for foreign combat troops to return home.

The country may not be able to balance its budget until the middle of the next decade, Britain’s ambassador William Patey said.

Speaking 10 years after the start of the US military campaign, he said he was confident the Afghan army was already stronger than the Taliban, but it would need long-term help with training and funds.