Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 11:22 am on 9 October 2008.
My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness for that reply. The ANA is absolutely vital to the future of Afghanistan; there will never be a successful Afghan Government without a successful army. However, the Taliban are luring huge numbers of defectors from the ANA by doubling their very low pay. In the light of all the money pouring into Afghanistan, what assistance are Her Majesty's Government giving to the Afghan Government to ensure that ANA soldiers are fully and regularly paid?