Britain will withdraw nearly half its troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2013, the government has said, as part of a security handover to Afghan forces more than a decade after the US-led invasion.
Nearly all of Britain's 9,000 soldiers are due to pull out when the Nato mission finishes in late 2014, ending a long, costly and unpopular war that has cost the lives of 438 British soldiers.
Like the US, Britain will leave behind an undisclosed number of soldiers after 2014 to help local forces face threats from the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
Britain, which has the second biggest foreign force in Afghanistan after the United States, says it has helped to stabilise the country and prevent militants from finding a safe haven. - (Reuters)