Afghanistan may need funds until 2025 - UK envoy

[xchrom]

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/10/07/uk-afghanistan-britain-idUKTRE7963QW20111007

(Reuters) - Afghanistan will need financial and military support for many years after a 2014 deadline for foreign combat troops to return home, and may not be able to balance its budget until the middle of next decade, Britain's ambassador in Kabul said.

William Patey, speaking 10 years after the start of the U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan, said he was confident the Afghan army was already stronger than the Taliban, but it would need long-term help with training and funds.

British and other forces should provide that, because if the Taliban returned to power by force, it risked the country becoming a safe haven for al Qaeda again, he added.

"It's important to get across (the message) that Afghanistan is not being abandoned in 2014, the nature of our engagement is changing," Patey told Reuters in his Kabul residence.



***western governments should stop lying about how broke they are if they can afford to this.

[Turbineguy]

1. Expect

Swiss banks to do well until then.

[SixthSense]

2. Hope you got it

'cause I sure as hell ain't going to pay for that bullshit

[Angry Dragon]

3. I will wait for the republicans to come out and tell them

to get off their lazy asses and build their own damn country