British forces to be “out of Afghanistan by 2015″: David Cameron

LONDON - British Prime Minister David Cameron has said that a NATO summit later this week would mark the beginning of the end of Britain’s involvement in Afghanistan, adding that combat forces would be out of the region in five years’ time.

“I have said that our combat forces will be out of Afghanistan by 2015. And this week’s NATO summit in Lisbon is set to mark the starting point for passing responsibility for security progressively to Afghan forces,” the Telegraph quoted Cameron, as saying.

Britain remains the second largest contributor to the NATO-led force with 10,000 troops. Cameron said that most of those troops were in “the most difficult part of the country”.

He also said that his government was taking a more “hard-headed” approach to national security, starting with Afghanistan.

“We are not there to build a perfect democracy, still less a model society. We are there to help Afghans take control of their security and ensure that al-Qaeda can never again pose a threat to us from Afghan soil. A hard-headed, time-limited approach, based squarely on the national interest,” he added. (ANI)