Until Tuesday the MoD had refused to say what it would do with the small force next year, but a tough fighting season and the American decision to keep thousands of troops in the country have persuaded ministers to keep it in Afghanistan.
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He said the decision follows a review of Britain’s commitment “in light of the performance” of Afghan security forces and the overall security situation in Afghanistan.
Britain had formally ended its campaign in Afghanistan last October and soldiers were due to leave by the end of this year.
“In their first fighting season since the drawdown of worldwide combat troops, the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces [ANDSF] have been tested in parts of the country, but they have also shown themselves to be an increasingly professional, competent and dedicated fighting force”, said Fallon.
“We will continue to help develop Afghanistan’s future military leaders through our work at the Afghan National Army Officer Academy, to build capacity within the Afghan security ministries, and to provide vital support to North Atlantic Treaty Organisation operations in Kabul”, he said.
“Our forces… will remain engaged in two narrow, but critical, missions”, Obama said, “training Afghan forces and supporting counter-terrorist operations against the remnants of al-Qaeda”.
At the height of United Kingdom action in Afghanistan, there were 9,500 servicemen and women in the country, in a conflict that resulted in 453 British military deaths.
Afghan forces have been struggling to fend off renewed attempts by Taliban, who are making inroads into central provinces. Many districts across the country are now fully or partially under Taliban control.
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The UK’s military mission in Afghanistan has brought with it a heavy human toll. Close to 456 members of the Army, RAF, Royal Marines and special forces lost their lives in both combat and non-combat roles in the fight against the Taliban since 2002, BBC estimates state.
