Tobias Ellwood MP will travel to Afghanistan next week to visit British troops and International Development representatives who are supervising reconstruction work in Kabul and Helmand.

After visiting Afghanistan last November, Tobias will be using this opportunity to review how work is progressing to rebuild the country's economy, infrastructure and to improve health and education facilities.

As a former Army officer Tobias takes a keen interest in British troop deployments to Afghanistan and will meet British regiments based in the Helmand province.

Tobias has recently called for the Government to acknowledge that the security of British troops currently being deployed to Afghanistan is being undermined by a failure to tackle the country's illegal drugs trade.

Tobias said:

"I am eager to visit Afghanistan for a second time, in particular the Helmand province where the local police force is only about 500 strong but has responsibility for an area twice the size of Wales. With over 90% of the heroin in the UK coming from Afghanistan I am interested to see what is being done by DFID (the Department for International Development) to curb the poppy trade."

Tobias has recently asked the Government to the look at legalising the opium trade in the Helmand area of Afghanistan as a pilot scheme.

He explained:

"There is a shortage of opium world wide, and legitimising Afghanistan's crop would prevent terrorists from making financial gains. These measures would also help stop heroin arriving on UK shores. Deal with the poppy problem, and we will deal with much of the threat in Afghanistan."

Tobias Ellwood MP

House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA

Tel:
0207 219 4349
Email:
ellwoodt@parliament.uk