What have been the UK's immediate objectives?

These were set out in the paper Defeating International Terrorism: Campaign Objectives as:

• To bring Usama Bin Laden and other Al Qaida leaders to justice;

• To prevent Usama Bin Laden and the Al Qaida network from posing a continuing terrorist threat;

• To this end to ensure that Afghanistan ceases to harbour and sustain international terrorism and enables us to verify that the camps where terrorists train have been destroyed;

Are the attacks legal?

The operations are a justified, measured and legitimate response under international law.  Article 51 of the UN Charter permits self defence but requires states to inform the Security Council – which the UK and the US have done. 

Has UK participation really been a token rather than a meaningful contribution?

The UK's contribution has been a small but important one: a visible sign of our support for US action.  As the Prime Minister has repeatedly said, we are pledged to stand shoulder to shoulder with the US.  Some of the RAF aircraft involved in the operation have capabilities which complement US capabilities.

The United States has made no secret of how much they value that support.  Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on 15 January,

“Britain has just been terrific in this conflict and has been, and is today, a superb partner."

Furthermore, the UK's offer to lead the International Security Assistance Force provides a major contribution to the efforts to support the new legitimate government of Afghanistan restore order to the country after 23 years of war and ensure that it never again provides a haven for terrorism.

Why continue military action?

The pressure needs to be maintained and the gains made must not be lost. Al Qaida and the Taliban remaining in Afghanistan must not be allowed to present a renewed threat to either legitimate government in the country or international security. Terrorist camps can be rebuilt.  Repeated strikes on the same targets are sometimes necessary to ensure that terrorists cannot use them again.

What about civilian casualties?

Military action inevitably carries risks. But everything possible has been done to reduce those risks to the absolute minimum. Very great care has been taken in the choice of targets; only terrorist facilities, military forces and installations have been attacked. Great care has also been taken in the choice of weapons, making sure that they have been appropriate to the specific target. 

The vast majority of strikes have been effective. Very few caused civilian casualties.  It is impossible to know for sure how many civilians have been killed or injured as a result of coalition action in Afghanistan, but all claims have been carefully investigated, and as the Taliban have been driven from control of the country, many of their claims have been shown to be lies or exaggeration.

US/UK acted alone – international support? 

Many other countries, amongst them France, Germany, Australia and Canada, offered support, as did NATO. The international coalition remains strong, and nineteen countries are now involved in providing the International Security Assistance Force in Kabul to help support the Afghan Interim Authority under Hamid Kharzai. 

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