G8 sets timeframe for Afghan withdrawal

The G8 group of major world powers set a five-year timeframe for the government of Afghanistan to take increasing control of its own security.

The communique released at the end of the two-day Muskoka summit in Canada represents the first time the international community has put a clear timescale at the highest level for the conclusion of the foreign intervention in Afghanistan, which began in 2001.

And it sets a probable end date for the withdrawal of Britain's 10,000-strong deployment in the country.

It came a day after Prime Minister David Cameron indicated that he envisages the bulk of UK troops coming home from Afghanistan by the time of the next general election, scheduled for 2015.

The communique - agreed by G8 members Britain, the US, Russia, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Japan - calls on the Afghan government to set out how it will "make concrete progress to reinforce the formal justice system and expand the capacity of the Afghan national security forces to assume increasing responsibility for security within five years".

That document welcomed the Afghan government's ambition to "take responsibility for physical security" within five years, but did not give explicit international backing to the timeframe.

It is understood that the five-year timeframe was not a British demand, but that the PM was very supportive of its inclusion in the document.

Aides travelling with the PM stressed that he was not setting a target or deadline for drawdown of UK forces, but his words left no doubt how he sees the situation in Afghanistan developing.