asked Her Majesty's Government:

What are the strategic objectives of operations in Afghanistan; and how success will be measured.

My Lords, first, I am sure that the House will wish to join me in sending our profound condolences to the family and friends of the soldier of 2 Battalion the Royal Gurkha Rifles who was killed in Afghanistan yesterday.

On 12 December 2007, the Prime Minister set out the UK's long-term comprehensive framework for security and for political, social and economic development for Afghanistan. The strategy sets the strategic objectives for Her Majesty's Government as a whole. We will have succeeded in Afghanistan when the democratic Government of that country have built sufficient capacity to maintain a stable security situation and the rule of law, enabling them to extend governance, reduce the drugs trade and build a successful economy.

My Lords, I join the noble Lord in sending condolences and thank him for that Answer. Do the Government agree with Brigadier Carleton-Smith that there is no exclusively military solution in Afghanistan? Does the noble Lord agree that that implies that, in the end, there will have to be talks with all sides, maybe including the Taliban? Given the fact that there is a new Administration in the United States, which hopefully and mercifully promises to be more subtle, more realistic and, above all, more multilateral than in the past—indeed, the President-elect has already this morning talked about repairing alliances—will the Government start now, with the Americans and others, to prepare ways best to conduct those talks, when the time is appropriate for them to begin?

My Lords, I assure the noble Lord that, although we feel the need to prevail militarily in Helmand and Afghanistan, we have always and consistently been clear that a military victory alone will not secure the stable peace that we wish for; it is necessary to have a political track as well. The Government of Afghanistan must reach out to tribal leaders and other groups who have aligned themselves with the Taliban and bring them back onside. We are already working with General Petraeus, the new commander, and we have seconded individuals to his team to prepare strategic options for the new President.

My Lords, are the Government of Pakistan assisting NATO and United States forces to achieve our strategic goals? Why is it necessary for NATO and the United States to bomb inside Pakistan? Does my noble friend agree that a destabilised Pakistan is more dangerous than a destabilised Afghanistan?

My Lords, I assure my noble friend that NATO is not bombing inside Pakistan. What he has in mind is a United States action, which is primarily a matter for the United States and Pakistan to resolve. However, I certainly confirm to my noble friend that we all believe that the newly elected democratic Government of Pakistan must be allowed to prevail. Were it to fail, that would be a great setback for all our objectives in the region.

My Lords, have we failed to learn the lessons of history in central Asia? We have had an obsession with Afghanistan for more than 200 years. We have seen other nations leave Afghanistan with their tails between their legs. If we fail to equip our troops properly to do the job with which we have charged them, will we see another infamous and humiliating retreat from Kabul, such as that which this country suffered—the historians in this House will correct me if I am wrong—in 1842?

My Lords, while I, like the noble Lord, am a great respecter of history, I say to him that this action in Afghanistan is driven by the astonishing international attack made on 9/11 against the United States. The whole world came together to endorse action to ensure that never again would Afghanistan be a haven for such terrorists. As to vehicles, we have just committed some £30 million to upgrade the Snatch vehicles, although I know that they are controversial to some. Last week, we also announced the procurement of nearly 700 new vehicles and the upgrading of 200 more, because we must have the right equipment for our troops.

My Lords, will the Minister accept that, whatever the Prime Minister may have said a year ago, the baleful fact remains that the dynamic is increasingly moving against us in Afghanistan? If this is to be turned around, while more troops and resources may be necessary, they will not be sufficient unless they are backed by two factors, which we still do not have. The first is an international plan with clear priorities, prosecuted by an international community capable of speaking with a single voice. The second is a regional context that can play among Afghanistan's neighbours. Without those two things, more troops and more resources will not be sufficient.

My Lords, although there have been some setbacks in the situation in Afghanistan, I think that it is too strong to say that the dynamic is running against us there. The asymmetrical warfare adopted by the Taliban with the targeting of civilians has led to civilian casualties across the country, which is to be deeply regretted. However, I certainly agree with the noble Lord that we need an effective, coherent international strategy, which we and the Americans are working with our allies in the United Nations to achieve. I certainly endorse his suggestion that having regional neighbours as partners is critical to success.

My Lords, we on this side share in sending condolences to the bereaved of one more hero killed in Afghanistan. We also endorse what the noble Lord, Lord Ashdown, wisely said about the desperate need for a more effective, unified command. Obviously, we will have to wait a couple of months before we hear the new American policy, although it seems to include more troops and modest ambitions, in the words of Mr Obama. From our point of view, how do we view the questions of more troops, better equipment and closer co-operation with Pakistan? This may be rather a daring thought, but is there any mileage in trying to get some co-operation even with Iran, which has the same objectives as we have over a wide area in Afghanistan?

My Lords, the noble Lord will agree that we need to wait and see what the new President's strategy is. There has been a lot of speculation but he now needs an opportunity to develop his thinking. We certainly believe that additional troops can be useful but we have always made it clear that that must be combined with an appropriate political approach. We hope that the American approach will emphasise both things. With a new leader committed to multilateralism, as the noble Lord said earlier, we very much hope that this will be an opportunity for NATO to re-engage and that the new President, Mr Obama, will use some of his new-found multilateral authority and friendships to bring a broader NATO commitment back to this operation.