By Tim Shipman And Ian Drury UPDATED: 18:27 EST, 2 February 2012 Up to half of Britain’s forces in Afghanistan will come home next year after the Americans announced plans to speed up withdrawal by a year. Downing Street confirmed that British troops will no longer lead combat operations by the end of 2013, handing command responsibility to local Afghan forces 12 months earlier than expected. Plans have now been drawn up to cut the force of 9,000 British troops by at least 4,000 next year, with a series of steady drawdowns in troops throughout the year. Previously, David Cameron has said that British forces will no longer be in a combat role by the end of 2014, but ministers had failed to spell out that the handover to Afghan commanders will begin much earlier than that.
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ISAF troops will retain a 'supporting' role
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Report compiled by U.S. forces claims Pakistan security agency is assisting Taliban attacks against Nato forces
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Afghans bracing for return of Taliban when foreign troops withdraw in 2014
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Taliban detainees claim Pakistan employs network of spies to give strategic advice to militants
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Pakistan Foreign Ministry dismisses claims as 'frivolous' and insists it is committed to non-interference in Afghanistan
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10-year conflict has seen nearly 3,000 service personnel killed
Unbowed: The document claims Taliban fighters are being supported by @placeholder intelligence services across the border
@placeholder, where powerful elements in the security and intelligence services