Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Afghanistan on the threat posed by the Taliban in that country.

My new counterpart has yet to be appointed since the conclusion of the recent election period in Afghanistan. The Prime Minister's, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) recent visit to Kabul saw him meet with President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and included discussions on security. We continue to call for the Taleban to enter a peaceful political process with the Afghan Government, as political settlement offers the prospect of a more sustainable peace in Afghanistan.