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Operation Herrick is the codename for the British part of the NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) campaign in Afghanistan. It is the UK Governments position that the UK cannot disengage from Afghanistan and retains an active military presence (particularly Helmand province) because of the continued terrorist threat facing Britain and the world.〔The Prime Minister Gordon Brown speech to the International Institute for Strategic Studies on Afghanistan - National Security and Regional Stability, 4 September 2009, accessed: 16 October 2009, http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page20515〕〔 Building a strong Afghan state is a long and difficult task.〔〔Operations in Afghanistan: Our Strategy, Ministry of Defence, http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/OperationsFactsheets/OperationsInAfghanistanOurStrategy.htm〕 The Liberal-Conservative coalition government (May 2010 - Current) has declared that Afghanistan is the UK's top foreign policy priority.〔 == Strategic Threat == In 2001 the Taliban regime in Afghanistan enabled Al-Qaeda to plot terror around the world and this led to tragic consequences of 9/11.〔 As the Taliban were removed from power and Al-Qaeda, including their training camps,〔 was driven from Afghanistan by Coalition forces, Al-Qaeda has relocated to the remote mountains of Pakistan's northwest frontier province and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).〔〔Letter to Rt Hon Alan Williams MP, Chairman of the Committee, from the Prime Minister, dated 11 July 2009, http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmliaisn/257/9071602.htm〕 The main threat continues to originate from Al-Qaeda and the Pakistan part of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region.〔 Al-Qaeda retains some contacts and provides limited support to the Afghan-Pakistan insurgency, principally through the provision of training for foreign fighters and military expertise; continues to view Afghanistan as fundamental in the establishment of a pan-Islamic caliphate; and therefore a peaceful and stable Afghanistan would be a severe propaganda blow and strategic failure for Al-Qaeda.〔 If the Taliban are allowed to undermine legitimate government in either Afghanistan or Pakistan, that would enable Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups to have greater freedom and a sanctuary from which to train, plan and launch terrorist attacks across the world - and would have longer term implications for the credibility of NATO and the international community - and for the stability of both this crucial region and globally.〔 The UK's position, both under the Labour Government (April 2009 - May 2010) and the Liberal-Conservative coalition government〔Mr David Cameron, Prime Minister's Statement on Afghanistan, 14 June 2010, http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/statements-and-articles/2010/06/pm-statement-on-afghanistan-51813〕 (May 2010 - current), is that the prevention of terrorism on the streets of the UK, America and other countries depends on providing stability in the region spanning the Afghanistan-Pakistan border through strengthening the authorities in both Pakistan and Afghanistan to defeat Al-Qaeda, and also the Pakistan and Afghan Taliban.〔 In July 2009 the Director-General of the UK Security Service estimated that three quarters of the most serious plots against the UK have links into this region.〔 As of June 2010, the Prime Minister stated that the threat to the UK from Al-Qaeda from Afghanistan and Pakistan has reduced, primarily due to the current strategy, although this was assessed as not yet irreversible.〔 As of May 2011 it was the UK's position that there was still a threat that Al-Qaeda could reestablish itself within the region and therefore a continued military presence was still needed.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Strategy for Operation Herrick」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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