London, July 21 (DPA) Britain will withdraw its troops from Afghanistan within the next five years, Prime Minister David Cameron told the BBC Wednesday.
By 2015, Britain would not have ‘combat troops or large numbers (of forces)’ in Afghanistan, Cameron said.
When asked if the British could emulate the US, which plans to start withdrawing its troops in July 2011, Cameron answered: ‘Yes, we can but it should be based on the conditions on the ground.’
The timetable depended on how quickly security could be transferred to Afghan control.
‘I don’t want to raise expectations about that because that transition should be based on how well the security situation is progressing,’ he said.
The British are the second largest contributor of troops to the ISAF mission in Afghanistan with 10,000 soldiers.
Cameron met with US President Barack Obama in Washington Tuesday for the first time since becoming prime minister.
