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		</div><p><a href="http://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/pm-hints-at-afghanistan-withdrawal.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full" title="British troops could begin pulling out of Afghanistan from next year" src="http://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/min-pm-hints-at-afghanistan-withdrawal.jpg" alt="British troops could begin pulling out of Afghanistan from next year"/></a></p>
<p>British troops could begin pulling out of Afghanistan from next year, David Cameron has indicated as he made a surprise visit to see progress being made in the fight against the Taliban.</p>
<p>The Prime Minister said there were &#8220;grounds for cautious optimism&#8221; that efforts to restore security and governance were sufficiently on track to begin reducing the force level as early as 2011.</p>
<p>And his view on the timetable was backed by the head of the armed forces who hailed the &#8220;astronomical&#8221; quickening of results on the ground and said success in the mission was &#8220;eminently doable&#8221;.</p>
<p>Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir David Richards, had previously discounted the prospects of beginning a draw down next year but said it was now possible if progress continued.</p>
<p>The two men were speaking after visiting bases and seeing the training of Afghan police and army forces &#8211; as part of the traditional pre-Christmas visit by a premier.</p>
<p>Nato has set a deadline of 2014 to complete the international mission and Mr Cameron has pledged that all UK combat troops will be out of the country by 2015. There are presently 10,000 in theatre.</p>
<p>Talking to reporters at the UK&#8217;s main Camp Bastion base in Helmand province, Mr Cameron was asked if he still believed the 2011 date to begin pulling out was feasible.</p>
<p>He said: &#8220;I do still think it is possible but obviously we have got to go on making the progress that we are making.&#8221;</p>
<p>Mr Cameron said the 2015 deadline was helping &#8220;focus minds&#8221; in Nato and Afghanistan and Gen Richards said it was having a similar benefit for the military.</p>
<p>&#8220;The British public want to know that there is an endpoint to this, that we are making progress, that this can be done and I was keener to do that rather than make absolutely definite noises either about 2010 or 2011 but I do think it&#8217;s possible,&#8221; Mr Cameron said.</p>
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