LONDON - British Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday made his first visit to Afghanistan since taking office, saying the war there was his top foreign-policy priority but that British troops should not stay "a day longer than is necessary."
Cameron's unannounced trip came a day after U.S. Gen. David Petraeus declared that defeating the Taliban could not be accomplished without Britain's participation. Both Petraeus and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates were in London this week to shore up Britain's commitment to the war in the face of ongoing public opposition and the new government's vow to cut spending.
Standing alongside Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Cameron said securing Afghanistan remained uppermost on his foreign-policy agenda but warned that this was "the vital year."
"This is the year when we have to make progress, progress for the sake of the Afghan people but progress also on behalf of people back at home who want this to work," he said.
He ruled out any troop increases. After the United States, Britain has the second-largest deployment in Afghanistan, with about 10,000 troops.
But as soldiers continue to come home in coffins, many here are questioning Britain's involvement and demanding withdrawal as quickly as possible. More than 290 British troops have been killed in Afghanistan since U.S.-led forces invaded in 2001, according to icasualties.org, a website that tracks U.S. and NATO military deaths in Afghanistan.
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