David Cameron Visits British Troops In Afghanistan, Defends Army Cuts

David Cameron insisted today that he was "confident" he could meet his promise to bring British troops back from Afghanistan by the end of 2014 as he arrived in Helmand Province for a tour of Camp Bastion.

The Prime Minister said an announcement about the number of soldiers being brought back in 2013 would be made by the end of this year after being told significant progress had been made on the ground.

Cameron defended major reductions in troop numbers, which will see a 20% reduction in the manpower of the regular Army, admitting it was a "difficult decision" but he insisted he could "look all the Armed Forces in the eye" because it had been the right thing to do.

As the PM arrived in Camp Bastion, the UK's largest Afghan base - his first visit in 12 months after a planned trip at Christmas had to be aborted following a sand storm - military sources warned that the Army must maintain a strong presence in country to ensure it remains a viable state.

They said the plans were for a "glide path down" on troop numbers as Britain prepares to pull out by the end of 2014 but warned against cutbacks if the Government wants to meet its aims in the state.

"If the Prime Minister's policy aims don't change - and that is to maintain a viable state with an Afghan National Security Force that can protect its borders and counter terrorism - then we need to maintain a strong presence," the senior source said.

Mr Cameron said the Government had had to make "difficult decisions" about funding but insisted the coalition had a defence budget that "makes sense".

Mr Cameron visited frontline troops from the 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment at the Shawqat base in Nad-e-Ali and saw a provincial reconstruction team in Lashkar Gah.

He said: "What I will commit to is that we will do this in a sensible, ordered, practical way - 9,500 to 9,000 this year. As Afghan troops take a bigger role we will be able to reduce troop numbers further next year.

"I don't want to see some cliff edge. I'm confident we are going to have a staged reduction and deliver a safe and secure situation.

"I'm confident we can bring the British troops home as I promised by the end of 2014."

He added: "I'm very pleased to be here because I want to thank our Armed Forces for all the incredible work that they do.

"It's been very tough in Afghanistan but actually in here in Helmand there are three areas we control.

"Two of them are now in transition to Afghan control. The third is about to go into that transition. I've been coming here for six years now. When I first came there weren't any Afghan soldiers. There are now thousands.

"There weren't any Afghan police, there are now thousands of those, so we are seeing the Afghan army, the Afghan police step up to take control of their own country, which means that we'll be able to take our forces home. That's what we want to see."

The visit comes a month after troops took delivery of new Foxhound armoured patrol vehicles, specifically designed for the Afghan operation.

Mr Cameron said: "What we do know, and that's why we are able to invest in bits of kit like that Foxhound behind me, we've now got the best protected vehicles for our armed services that we've ever had in our history. Better than many other armies can."

During the visit, the Prime Minister met Isaf commanders and British Ambassador Sir Richard Stagg for an update on the latest security situation in Helmand Province.

He was told there has been a slight upsurge in violence after the fighting season started earlier than usual.