Taliban is still capable and resilient fighting force in Afghanistan | World news

The apparent capture of a British soldier in Helmand is another chilling reminder that the fighting in Afghanistan is far from over and that the Taliban - despite the pounding it took over the winter months - is still capable and resilient.

Commanders in the International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf) have repeatedly warned that insurgents would attempt eye-catching spectaculars over the summer months, and so far they've been proved right.

Last week suicide bombers attacked the Intercontinental hotel in Kabul; before that it was a hospital in Logar. Two months ago the Taliban orchestrated an audacious jail break from Kandahar prison. And now we are faced with the possible abduction of a Nato soldier, the first time British troops have been targeted in this way.

The incident comes during a particularly difficult time for the British forces in Afghanistan. Eight British soldiers have died on duty in the past five weeks as the Taliban seeks to reassert itself in areas where it had apparently lost control.

The disappearance of the soldier will also focus attention on security in Helmand and lead to further arguments over whether British and American forces are being pulled out of the country too soon.

This latest episode could not have been timed better from the insurgents' point of view. In just over a fortnight the "transition" process - Nato forces handing over control of parts of the country to the Afghan army and police - is due to begin.

Only the safest districts are to be in the first tranche of transition, and those currently under British control are included in this first wave.

The main British base other than the airfield and compound at Camp Bastion is at Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand. Lashkar Gah is often cited as a British success story due to its security improvements, and is scheduled to be transferred to the Afghan authorities on 21 July.

Adopting the counter-insurgency doctrine that has become synonymous with US General David Petraeus, British commanders have taken a high-profile role in the city, spending time with locals and working with Afghan police and army officers to keep the peace.

But even here there has been trouble. In May the Taliban launched assaults on a number of Afghan checkpoints. One rocket exploded near a police station and killed the daughter of a police commander. The compound of the governner, Gulab Mangal, has also been attacked.

The military would argue that the security situation remains much better, and there is some evidence to back the claim.

Last year in May British troops in Helmand had "contact" with insurgent fighters 160 times in four weeks (15 in the first week of May, 30 in the second, 50 in the third and 65 in the fourth). In May 2011 the total was 96 "contacts" (11, 10, 45, 30). If the established pattern continues, the figures for June are likely to be higher, but they were last year, too.

But military officials know that impressions count and if insurgents appear able to target British troops in this way, local people will question whether they are ready to put their security in the hands of the less experienced Afghans.

The total number of security incidents across the country may not reassure Afghans either, with the number of incidents barely changing year on year, despite the best efforts of the last American surge.

Commanders argue that this lack of improvement was predictable as the Taliban attempted to regain lost influence and territory. They have also said the surge should only be judged after two full years. But this is a luxury they no longer have.

President Obama has ordered all 30,000 extra US soldiers sent to Afghanistan last year back home by autumn 2012. David Cameron, meanwhile, is expected to announce this week that the British will withdraw another 500 troops next year, in addition to the 450 already leaving this year.

Nato countries now have a blueprint to get out of the country and an end goal - by December 2014 they will be in Afghanistan for training and overseeing purposes only, not for fighting.

The entire process is predicated on the belief that Afghanistan will be comparatively stable by then, with the Afghan security forces able to take over security. But that's two very big assumptions in a country where Nato has learned not to assume anything.

 

Questions remain over fate of British soldier found dead in Afghanistan | World news | The Guardian

The British soldier who went missing on Monday was stationed at a new base in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province, which recently came under sustained attack by insurgents.

He had been on sentry duty at Checkpoint Salaang on Sunday night and early Monday, and had just finished his shift.

It would most likely have been quiet at that time, but still warm: in Helmand at this time of year, the temperature rarely falls below 25C.

His colleagues from 4th Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland, and those from the Afghan army who are also at the heavily fortified compound had expected him to return to quarters. Instead he appears to have left the base on his own. Within hours stories were circulating about what happened to him next.

The Taliban claimed he had been captured by insurgents and killed in a skirmish as Nato forces tried to rescue him. Another report said he had been seen walking to the nearby Nahr-e Bughra canal, perhaps to go for a swim.

Without having complete clarity themselves, military officials in London were as certain as they could be that these stories were untrue.

But his disappearance was considered serious enough for David Cameron to cancel a trip to the British base at Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand, and for the full might of Nato forces – surveillance planes, helicopters and hundreds of extra troops – to flood into the area to seek him.

Sources in London said they were baffled by what had happened and were still trying to establish what had encouraged the soldier to leave his post without telling colleagues.

Just days ago, a patrol of Royal Marines from 45 Commando came under attack from insurgents hiding just 300 metres from the base, so security would have been at its highest level.

"He had been on 'Stag' [sentry duty] at a small vehicle checkpoint and had just finished his shift," said one source.

"And then, for whatever reason, he walked off. Instead of going back into the base where the other soldiers were, he headed out of the base – and that was the last that was seen of him.

"We are trying to work out exactly what has happened. There was no battle or fight or anything like that as far as we know."

The Ministry of Defence was told that the soldier was seen heading down the road away from the checkpoint by Afghan soldiers, who then reported him missing.

As the search got under way, the International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf) issued a brief notice stating that a soldier had "been listed as duty status whereabouts unknown in southern Afghanistan. There is an active search effort in progress."

Reporters travelling with the prime minister were told too, as the entourage was diverted – at Cameron's request – away from Helmand to the capital, Kabul.

The Taliban were quick to claim responsibility for the soldier's disappearance. Speaking to the Guardian, Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, gave one detailed account.

"Yesterday afternoon ... our mujahideen ambushed some soldiers and captured a British soldier. At 8pm, the foreign forces operation began to rescue him and continued until 3am.

"During that operation, the British soldier was killed, along with four to six other foreigners. Now the foreigners are saying that he was alone. But he was not alone.

"They are not brave enough to come even two steps out of their base alone. His body was left in the battlefield. I don't know where it is now." Ahmadi said he did not know how the soldier was killed.

The MoD said this account was not true. "There are always claims of responsibility for incidents," said one Whitehall official. "But we can only work with what we know. And all we know is that he has gone.

"At the moment, we cannot even be absolutely sure he is in the hands of the Taliban. There are criminal gangs operating in this area too. A huge search operation is under way. That has to be our focus right now."

The reports from Afghanistan also prompted the defence secretary, Liam Fox, to address MPs. "I recognise there will be many questions, but speculation on an issue of this nature is unhelpful. I would urge restraint from colleagues and the media and assure the house the United Kingdom and Isaf are taking all necessary and appropriate action." Two hours after that statement, officials confirmed that the soldier's body had been found and he had become the 375th British serviceman to die on duty in Afghanistan.

If the insurgents have claimed another victim, it will serve as a chilling reminder that the fighting in Afghanistan is far from over and the Taliban – despite the pounding they took over the winter months – are still capable and resilient.

Isaf commanders repeatedly warned that insurgents would seek publicity over the summer months with high-profile international targets, and so far they have been proved right.

Last week suicide bombers attacked the Intercontinental hotel in Kabul and before that targeted a hospital in Logar. Two months ago the Taliban orchestrated an audacious escape from Kandahar prison.

Monday's incident comes during a particularly difficult time for UK forces in Afghanistan. Eight British soldiers have died on duty in the past five weeks as the Taliban seeks to reassert itself in areas where it had apparently lost control.

Commanders have also been at odds with their political masters over whether British and American forces are being pulled out of the country too soon. This latest episode could not have been timed better from the insurgents' point of view. In just over a fortnight the "transition" process – Nato forces handing over control of parts of the country to the Afghan army and police – is due to begin.

The safest districts are to be in the first tranche of transition, and those currently under British control are included in this first wave. The improvement in security at Lashkar Gah is often cited as a British success story and the district is scheduled to be transferred to the Afghan authorities on 21 July.

Adopting the counterinsurgency doctrine that has become synonymous with US general David Petraeus, British commanders have taken a high-profile role in the city, spending time with locals and working with Afghan police and army officers to keep the peace.

But even here there has been trouble. In May the Taliban attacked a number of Afghan checkpoints – one rocket exploded near a police station and killed the daughter of a police commander. The compound of the governor, Gulab Mangal, was also hit.

The military would argue that the security situation is better, and there is some evidence to back the claim. In May 2010 British troops in Helmand had "contact" with insurgents 160 times in four weeks (15 in the first week of May, 30 in the second, 50 in the third and 65 in the fourth). In May 2011 the total was 96 "contacts" (11, 10, 45, 30). If the established pattern continues, the figures for June are likely to be higher.

But military officials know that impressions count and if insurgents appear able to target British troops, local people will question whether they are ready to put their security in the hands of the less experienced Afghans.

The total number of security incidents across the country may not reassure Afghans either, with the number of incidents barely changing year on year, despite the best efforts of the American "surge". Commanders argued that this lack of improvement was predictable as the Taliban attempted to regain lost influence and territory.

They have also insisted the surge should only be judged after two full years. But this is a luxury they no longer have. Barack Obama has ordered all 30,000 extra US soldiers sent to Afghanistan last year back home by autumn 2012. Cameron, meanwhile, is expected to announce that the British will withdraw another 500 troops next year, in addition to the 450 leaving this year.

Nato countries now have a blueprint to get out of the country and an end goal – by December 2014 they will be in Afghanistan for training and overseeing purposes only, not for fighting. The entire process is predicated on the belief that Afghanistan will be comparatively stable by then, with their security forces able to take over. But those are two very big assumptions in a country where Nato has learned not to assume anything.

 

British soldier missing in Afghanistan found dead | World news

The UK's steady withdrawal from Afghanistan was under fresh scrutiny after insurgents killed a British soldier who went missing from the checkpoint where he was stationed.

His body was discovered hours later with multiple gunshot wounds, including one to the back of the head.

The disappearance of the soldier, from the 4th Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland, sparked a search operation by Nato forces, with commanders unsure whether he had been abducted as part of a carefully orchestrated plan, or had been chanced upon by insurgents outside the base in Nahr-e Saraj (South) district of Helmand province.

The episode coincided with a secret trip to Afghanistan by David Cameron, who was forced to cancel plans to visit the British base at Lashkar Gah in Helmand as surveillance aircraft, helicopters and hundreds of extra troops hunted for the missing soldier. Cameron had hoped to be in the province's capital city to visit troops ahead of the handover of the area to Afghan security forces later this month. On Wednesday he is expected to announce that another tranche of British soldiers will withdraw from Helmand – 450 will leave this year, and 500 more are likely to be sent home in 2012.

His visit, though, was overshadowed by the news from Checkpoint Salaang, a fortified compound in central Helmand where Afghan soldiers reported the Briton missing early on Monday.

"What happened was obviously a very disturbing incident," Cameron said. "I arrived here in Helmand province and said to the military: 'Whatever you do, don't worry about taking me around – throw everything you have got at trying to pick up this young man.'"

"The reason for me not going to Lashkar Gah was not about my security. It was literally, use everything you have got to try and deal with this.

According to sources, the soldier had just finished his shift on sentry duty at a vehicle checkpoint and was expected to return inside the base. Colleagues reported seeing him walking out of the checkpoint area and down a road, before losing sight of him. The Taliban claimed it had taken him, and said that there had been a battle between insurgent and British forces. These details were emphatically denied in London.

Hours later the soldier's body was found with gunshot wounds four kilometres from the checkpoint. He was the 375th Briton to have died in Afghanistan in the decade-long campaign. Military investigators are now trying to establish why the soldier left the checkpoint on his own – and if he was lured out in some way.

An MoD statement confirmed that the soldier had been a member of The Highlanders. "[He] was reported missing from an ISAF check point in the early hours of the morning and was later found dead following an extensive search of the area."

The spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Lieutenant Colonel Tim Purbrick, added: "He had suffered gunshot wounds.His exact cause of death is still to be established and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and death are currently under investigation. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends."

Before the details of the death emerged, Cameron said the military campaign was now in a "new phase". He said there was increasing confidence in the Afghan army and police ability and that the insurgency, was now on the "back foot".

There have been questions about the deadline overly politicising the military campaign in Afghanistan — it will be in 2014 and the year before the next general election. The government has always said they have taken a "political judgment" but they have also been at pains to stress it is enabled by an improvement in the capability of the Afghan army and police and weakening in the insurgency.

But shortly after arriving into Afghanistan Cameron was informed that a British soldier had gone missing in one of the areas due to be handed over to control by local forces. The Taliban released a statement saying they had captured the soldier was discovered outside the military compound where he was based in the south of Helmand province. Helmand will pass into the control of local forces in the Autumn of next year.

The Ministry of Defence would not comment on any of the details surrounding the missing soldier but confirmed his next of kin had been informed he was missing. A senior military source, seeking to downplay any sense of sophisticated planning and threat, described the capture as an "opportunistic attack".The prime minister visited Camp Bastion in Helmand and intended to fly straight out again to Lashkar Gar to meet and the provincial governor . The Helmand town is regarded has made such good progress last month it was transferred over to control by the local Afghan forces and is regarded as a success story.

In interviews with travelling press, Cameron said he had personally insisted the Lashkar Gar trip be dropped: "It was absolutely the right thing to do. I just said when I got here, don't bother about flying me around Helmand province, just use all you have got to try and find that person."

He also disagreed that it would have any bearings on his chosen strategy for Afghanistan, saying: "Of course we are going to have challenges and problems right up until the end of the mission of course, it is a very regrettable incident."

He also said "in Helmand province the insurgency is on the back foot".

But he stuck to his fresh appraisal of the situation in Afghanistan and asked for people to remember the "big picture".

He added: "We are entering a new phase in this country.There will be an opportunity to bring some British soldiers home, we are talking relatively small numbers and over a period of time. There will continue to be incidents; the trick isn't that we have to have completely finished off the insurgency by the time we transition out, it's that the Afghan forces are going to be able to handle it."

In tandem with US president Barack Obama's decision that he will reverse by 2012 the 2009 surge in which he sent 33,000 extra troops to Afghanistan, Cameron has announced that all British fighting forces will be out by 2014. Four hundred and fifty troops will begin leaving Afghanistan next month out of the British total force of 9,500. These are mainly support officers but on Wednesday the prime minister is expected to tell parliament there will be a further withdrawal in the autumn, of around 500 troops, for the first time including frontline troops.

Cameron indicated there would not be a significant reduction for the next two summers, dubbed "fighting seasons" in military terms. He said: "You have the enduring number of 9,500. You're not going to see a radical change for the fighting season (summer) of next year. That's not what this is about." But he added: "2014 is a deadline – be in no doubt. This is a matter of judgment. It is my judgment that it is right. The British people and the British military deserve to have some certainty."

While Lieutenant Colonel Charles Page said the handing over of towns to local forces would be dependent on "conditions", this was put to the prime minister later and he maintained the deadline would stick irrespective of possible bad conditions.

In comments made to American troops and in interviews before the details of the soldier's disappearance emerged, Cameron and military sources stressed the drawdown decision was based on the improved "confidence and competence" of Afghan forces.

 

David Cameron: Afghanistan military handover is entering new phase | World news

 

 

David Cameron speaks to British and US troops at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan. Photograph: Reuters

When David Cameron met the governor of Helmand province in Camp Bastion on Monday morning, the "atmospherics", to use a military phrase, were bad.

The pair had been due to meet in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand and a town where British and Afghan forces think they have made excellent progress. But the visit, designed to display safety and ease of access, couldn't be made.

Gulab Mangal, the governor, instead came to Camp Bastion to meet Cameron. One observer reported he leaned over to the prime minister and said: "Sorry. We lost one of yours today."

Cameron flew into Camp Bastion and had breakfast with British troops before addressing a mixed crowd of around 200 British and American soldiers in the US camp, Camp Leatherneck.

With the Americans celebrating independence day, Cameron acknowledged a British PM was an unlikely person to rally the US troops on 4 July.

"It may be a bit odd for a British PM to say happy Fourth of July," he said. "Maybe if one of my predecessors hadn't screwed up so badly, we'd all be one army."

After that it became apparent Cameron's schedule was being ripped up. Cameron spent the rest of the day in Camp Bastion, visiting a hospital and in back-to-back meetings with top military officials including James Bucknall, who, Cameron later relayed, told him he should not significantly reduce troop numbers for "two fighting seasons".

Cameron chose to journey to Afghanistan to demonstrate that the situation was improving and British troops could leave in tandem with the Americans. But there was concern among some military sources that such a move could undo all the work of British forces in Helmand since operations began there in 2006. Cameron wanted to show he was listening to their concerns.

Military commanders explained what the drawdown plan, with all British fighting troops out by 2014, means on the ground. International forces in the Isaf mission are handing over power to local forces in three tranches, with towns such as Lashkar Gah in tranche one, already handed over to Afghan control; tranche two includes towns handed over from October 2011; and the last of the provinces handed over by March 2012.

In a briefing for journalists, the British colonel in charge of planning, Charles Page, emphasised that this was a "process" and a "transition". Page said the absolute timing of withdrawals could be "conditions-based".

Many talked about the US-UK troop drawdown being a "forcing mechanism". They likened the tactic to "stabilisers" being taken off a bicycle and "electric shocks" being applied to the Afghan troops, who may be too reliant on international forces.

They also pointed to incidences where it has not been the Isaf forces that have intervened but the Afghan police or army: a suicide bomb by insurgent forces near the government compound was handled by the Afghan National Army (ANA). What the local forces lack in technology, one commander said, they make up for in human intelligence, being able to spot immediately a stranger in the town square.

In 40C heat, with the search for a missing British soldier continuing, Cameron seemed subdued through much of the day. But he did not accept that difficult conditions might slow the drawdown and said the "big picture" showed the campaign was moving into a "new phase" of transition to Afghan control.

He used a repeated formulation – that by the date of departure, 2014, British forces will have been in Afghanistan for 13 years and Helmand for eight. And that after 2014, there would still be British troops in Afghanistan, just not fighting.

The military echoed that view. Colonel Nick Welch, deputy commander of Nato's forces inside the area of operation, said: "We will be close by to provide the necessary support", which will include "combining fire and control of the air". Colonel Page took a similar line. "We're looking at Afghans taking the lead, but we will be close by," he said. "After 2014 we will still be supportive."

Afghanistan: soldier's death is terrible reminder of lack of progress on security | World news

 

 

All British combat troops are due to be withdrawn from Afghanistan by 2014. Photograph: Gaz Faulkner/PA

No 10 insisted the death of the British soldier in Helmand would have no impact on David Cameron's plans to reduce the number of UK troops in Afghanistan next year, saying its overall assessment remains that security in Helmand is improving. But the confluence of a visit designed to pave the way for troop withdrawals and the death of the soldier was a dreadful reminder of the lack of progress.

The possibility that the soldier was double-crossed by a Taliban fighter in an Afghan army uniform weakens Cameron's central case that the Afghan army and police force are improving not only in numbers, but in reliability. Britain's planned withdrawal of all 11,000 combat troops by the end of 2014 is predicated on the Afghan security forces being strong enough to govern the state, with only mentoring back-up and funding from western forces.

Few British politicians think Nato is beating the Taliban, either politically or militarily, so the unspoken goal is a UK military exit with dignity intact by the end of 2014.

Liam Fox, the defence secretary, has set the bar for withdrawal relatively low. He has repeatedly said the aim is not to install "a Jeffersonian democracy" in Afghanistan, but simply to ensure that the state can no longer be a secure haven for Al-Qaida to terrorise the west as it did on 9/11, the original cause of invasion.

Fox has never been a nation-builder in Afghanistan, but at the same time he is influenced by UK generals who argue that a large withdrawal now, simply to mimic the decisions of Barack Obama, would be premature. Obama last month announced a planned withdrawal of 33,000 US troops by September 2012, a decision that the US military says could embolden the Taliban.

Cameron, like Obama, has become exasperated with the UK generals, who have pressed publicly for extra cash and for the reopening of the strategic defence review. He has also become wary of excessive military optimism over operations such as the UK deployment in Helmand – the deployment of 3,000 troops in Helmand in 2006 was based on the view that they would not meet fierce resistance. Four years later, there are 20,000 US Marines and three times as many UK forces in the area and the British death toll is more than 300.

Cameron is now determined not to budge from his 2014 withdrawal date, months before a 2015 general election, arguing the Afghans will only rise to the challenge of governing their country if they must rely on their own resources.

So the Foreign Office details that by the end of March the Afghan army stood at 159,000, and the police at 125,000. By October the target is 171,600 and 134,000 respectively.

These Afghan forces are now better paid, and attrition rates and illiteracy are down. Currently, around 85% of ANSF recruits are illiterate on entry. But the proportion of Pashtun speakers from southern Afghanistan, the home of the insurgency, is tiny. Few will join if they believe the Taliban will take over the villages in three years time.

The Conservative benches, though instinctively loyal to the military, are with Cameron, as opposed to the generals.

There is little public enthusiasm for a war where the only political imperative is for the British army to leave with dignity intact after the shambles of the withdrawal from Basra in Iraq. Senior Conservative figures such as Bernard Jenkin think the war cannot continue indefinitely. The shadow defence secretary, Jim Murphy, concurs.

There is a small, rival, more traditional army school, led by James Arbuthnot, the defence select committee chairman, that contends withdrawal should be based on facts on the ground and not a pre-determined largely political timetable. A report from his committee due next month will urge caution.

The temptation for the Taliban is just to wait this out, and for Cameron the collapse of Kabul to the Taliban weeks before a May 2015 election would hardly be an electoral springboard. It looks as if Cameron has been persuaded to make modest withdrawals in his commons statement tomorrow. In evidence to Arbuthnot's committtee General Sir David Richards, the chief of defence staff, repeatedly suggested that decisions on troop withdrawals should be delayed. Asked if the Afghan army could take over soon, he replied: "You can grow numbers, but can you institutionalise the necessary qualities to sustain it beyond 2014? The jury is out on that. It will be a difficult thing to be certain of until about the end of next year." Or again in the same session: "It will not be until September, October, November, after this full year of the surge on the back of a pretty active winter campaign, that we will really be able to see whether it is beginning to come good."

On the political side, there is equally little sign of progress. Talks between the US and the Taliban, now officially confirmed, are barely at a preliminary stage, and relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan are worse, leaving the eastern Afghan border as porous and dangerous as ever. The killing of Osama bin Laden does not seem to have damaged the insurgency, or Al-Qaida.

David Cameron appeals to Taliban to cease fighting in Afghanistan

 

 

The apparent capture and killing of a British soldier in Afghanistan showed the "high price" being paid to stabilise the country, David Cameron said on Tuesday, as he appealed to the Taliban to stop fighting.

Speaking at a press conference in Kabul alongside the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, Cameron said: "This was very sad news and I want the thoughts and condolences of everyone on my team here to be with the family of that soldier who received this very sad news."

Karzai said: "I express my condolences on the very recent loss of a British soldier."

The prime minister insisted the campaign against the Taliban in Helmand province was having some "success" and transition to Afghan security control was "on track".

Cameron delivered his most direct appeal yet to Taliban elements to join the political process in Afghanistan. "It is very difficult to reconcile with people who have been killing your own soldiers or your own countrymen," he said. "To the Taliban, the message is very clear: Stop killing, stop bombing, stop fighting, put down your weapons, join the political process and you can be part of the future of this country.

"I have seen it in my own country, in Northern Ireland, where people who were involved in trying to kill, to maim and bomb civilians and police officers, army personnel and even politicians have actually become politicians themselves and are involved in the governance of that country.

"It can happen and the message to the Taliban is: you cannot win this fight, you are losing this fight."

Cameron said the death of the soldier on Monday was "a reminder of the high price that we have paid for the vital work we do in Afghanistan and in Helmand province".

The body of the soldier, from The Highlanders, 4th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, was found on Monday night after a massive manhunt. His family has been informed.

Taliban groups have claimed responsibility for killing the man, who had been reported missing from a military checkpoint in the early hours of the morning.

Nato spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Tim Purbrick said: "He had suffered gunshot wounds. His exact cause of death is still to be established and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and death are currently under investigation."

The disappearance emerged as Cameron arrived at the Camp Bastion base in Helmand, and forced him to abandon a visit to nearby Lashkar Gah so resources could be deployed in the search.

Cameron stressed that coalition forces were making progress and there seemed to be a reduction in the intensity of the summer fighting season this year.

He said he would be announcing in the Commons on Wednesday a "modest reduction" in British troops for 2012, on top of the 450 already due to withdraw this year.

He defended the 2014 deadline for UK forces ending their combat role. "I do believe it is the right time," he said. "I have worked extremely closely with the military to get this right. Many things have to be got right to ensure that transition can be done properly. But I believe we are on track. It can be done."

Cameron and Karzai unveiled the creation of an Afghan national officer academy. The institution will be modelled on Britain's Sandhurst and aims to produce high quality platoon leaders.

It will open its doors in 2013, and accept 1,350 recruits annually, with 120 UK troops involved in the training.

Cameron said it would provide the "Afghan army officers of the future".

Asked whether UK aid to Afghanistan would be rising as troop numbers fell, Cameron said: "This is a great example of a country that if we walk away from, and if we ignore, if we forget about, the problems will come visited back on our doorstep."

He said aid would help tackle problems such as terrorism at source.

"Even to people who are hard-headed, and possibly even hard-hearted, about aid, I say the programme we have in Afghanistan ...is good for people back home in Britain as well," he said.

He said aid to Afghanistan would increase as the UK moved towards its 0.7% GDP target for giving. UK aid to Afghanistan has increased from £102m last year to £178m this year, according to officials.

During the two-day visit to Afghanistan, Cameron has also held talks with US general David Petraeus about the military campaign.

 

Bin Laden’s Compound Gets A Bum Review On Google Maps

 

 

Google Maps users have been busy as the news of the raid on Osama bin Laden’s mansion was breaking. A pretty large compound listed on Google Maps in the city of Abbottābad, northern Pakistan has been picked out by users as being the genuine article – and with huge walls around it, it does indeed look quite suspect.

Whether or not it is the genuine article is unknown, but that is not stopping people leaving a slew of comments on the “venue’s” Google Maps page.

Some choicer reviews include:

“Great hideout would use again.”
“Heat sources are undeniable. This place is blazing! ”
“Cold and drafty at night, walls full of holes. ”
” on the menu was goat flesh, and the place reeked of burning garbage. ”
“Located in cozy, quiet neighborhood. Interrupted only occasionally by machine gun fire.”

Perhaps the best so far:

“Aside from the complimentary dialysis machine use, easy underground access to Pakistan’s beautiful vast cave system, and free toaster waffles, it’s a pretty big dump. The food wasn’t organic, the wifi was spotty at best, absolutely no cell coverage, (yelp reviews were so wrong on that one) and no one spoke English. To make it worse, the country’s best basketball player, some 6’7″ dude with a turban, gets shot our first night there. And the coffee was cold. We’re so not coming back.”

UPDATE:

Before anyone wants to barge into Bin Laden’s former abode, the exact location has now be confirmed as a different building, not far away, here.

Luckily, the user reviews are equally hilarious.