Britain will provide 70 million pounds ($110 million) a year to fund the Afghan armed forces after British combat operations end in Afghanistan in 2014, the defence ministry said on Wednesday.
"The UK contribution of 70 million pounds per annum to the funds to support the Afghan National Security Forces will make Afghanistan a safer and more stable country and protect our own national interests," said Defence Secretary Philip Hammond.
"This contribution underlines our commitment to a stable and secure Afghanistan after 2014 and I look forward to discussing with other like-minded countries the contributions they will make," he said in a statement from Brussels.
The funding would contribute to a $4 billion fund that the international community is putting together to ensure that Afghan forces can maintain national security. The first payment of 70 million pounds would be made in 2015, the ministry said.
Hammond was in Brussels to attend a meeting of NATO defence and foreign ministers where financing for Afghanistan was on the agenda.
(Reporting by Sebastian Moffett; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
©Reuters
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