Afghan campaign 'turning the corner', says Clegg

The Deputy British Prime Minister insisted the military campaign in Afghanistan was “turning the corner” today as he made a surprise visit to the troubled country.

Nick Clegg said British forces had “created the space” in which a political settlement could be reached with elements of the Taliban who were prepared to renounce violence.

But he also made clear there would be no extension to the coalition’s 2015 deadline for all British combat troops to be pulled out.

Mr Clegg was speaking at the Camp Bastion base after spending last night and today in volatile southern Helmand province.

He praised the “bravery and professionalism” of Britain's 10,000-plus force, stressing how much the situation had improved since his only previous visit in 2008.

“We hear so much bad news,” he told a group of around 50 troops training in a mocked-up Afghan village.

“Of course the country mourns when people lose their lives. People are full of anguish when there are serious injuries. But what I have seen today is a complete transformation of the military effort that I first saw when I visited two years ago.

“When I was here two years ago there were arguments about equipment, there were doubts about whether we had sufficient people and resources. There was real concern over whether we had the right strategy.

“But now two years later – I was in Nad-i-Ali this morning, two years ago we barely had a footprint there.

“Now the district governor’s telling me he knows of young Taliban fighters putting down their arms to participate in a peaceful life.

“I think you are turning the corner, and what you are doing is you’re creating the space for Afghan society to find its own feet.

“And that’s the only way we’re going to have stability, the only way we’re going to have the kind of stability Afghanistan needs but (also) the safety of our families, our communities back home.”

Mr Clegg hinted at the need for more contacts with Taliban elements, saying leaders now had to show “courage” in pursuing a political settlement.

“The task for us politicians now is to show the same courage that you have shown, because you in a sense have created the space where we can do the work to create a political settlement. Without a political settlement this is not going to end,” he added.

“The choice (for the Taliban) is this: they can either carry on fighting and they will be defeated by you, or they can put down their arms and recognise the Afghan constitution, they can turn their backs on al Qaida and they can play a role in creating a stable Afghanistan.”

Speaking to journalists after his address, Mr Clegg dodged questions about whether military advisers believed the situation could be resolved by 2015.

“This is not something you do overnight, but we have got five years to do this right,” he said.

“We have been very clear, we have put a full stop at the end of our engagement.

“By 2015 there will not be any British combat troops in Afghanistan.”

He said that commitment was “completely consistent” with President Hamid Karzai’s plans for Afghan forces to take full control of security by 2014.