Michael Fallon welcomes US promise to keep more troops in Afghanistan

‘British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has praised Donald Trump’s promise to keep US troops in Afghanistan after fears he was planning to pull them out.
The president, going against what he had said during the election campaign, announced on Monday that the US would not withdraw personnel as doing so would leave a power vacuum that could be filled by terrorists.
He called on NATO allies such as Britain to increase troops “in line with our own,” adding “we are confident they will.”
In response, Fallon said the US commitment was “welcome,” according to the Telegraph.
“In my call with [US Defense] Secretary Mattis yesterday we agreed that despite the challenges, we have to stay the course in Afghanistan to help build up its fragile democracy and reduce the terrorist threat to the West.
“It’s in all our interests that Afghanistan becomes more prosperous and safer: that’s why we announced our own troop increase back in June.”’
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