Britain to maintain Afghan aid

Britain has pledged to maintain aid funding levels to Afghanistan until 2017 and agreed to host a ministerial meeting in London in two years to assess progress in the country.

International development secretary Andrew Mitchell was speaking from a donors meeting in Japan which promised £10.3 billion of civilian help to aid transition after international troops pull out. In return, Kabul agreed new anti-corruption measures.

Mr Mitchell said: “Britain has accepted a request from Afghanistan and Japan to host a ministerial meeting in 2014 to review progress against Afghan and international commitments agreed today in Tokyo.

“Britain has led the way here, with our commitment to maintain our funding at its current level through to 2017. The consensus reached today will give Afghans confidence in the future, with the international community pledging firm support to 2015 and agreeing to help meet the budget shortfall through to 2017 and beyond.

“The Afghan government has committed to economic and governance reforms, including tackling corruption and promoting human rights, especially those of women.”