Coalition scales back troops in Afghanistan

The decision comes amid mounting concern over "green on blue" attacks on coalition forces. So far this year, 51 international troops have been killed by Afghan forces or militants wearing their uniforms.

And the Ministry of Defence said there had been 18 "green on blue" British fatalities since 2008, including the nine killed this year. In 2011 there was only one death.

Most joint patrols and advisory work with Afghan troops will now only be conducted at the battalion level and above, while co-operation with smaller units will have to be "evaluated on a case-by-case basis and approved by RC (regional) commanders," the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.

Stop the War co-founder John Rees said that scaling back forces would not be enough to stop the bloodshed.

"There is only one way to end the senseless deaths of both Afghans and British troops and that is for them to come home immediately," he told the Star.

"The military side of training the Afghan police is going well. But the politics of the situation - the occupation - means that the newly trained police are turning their guns on the coalition troops.

"Plus, President Hamid Karzai is now antagonistic to forces and making an attempt to botch the next election."

Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Jawed Ludin played down any sense of a rift between his government and Nato.

"This insider attack phenomenon is a matter of deep concern for all of us," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"This is a challenge that has come up in what is really a very essential mission and that is to get the Afghan forces up to speed. For Nato to take measures to reduce the risk of these attacks being repeated is a very natural thing. We totally understand it."

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond was summoned to address Parliament to answer an urgent question on Britain's strategy in Afghanistan.

A Downing Street spokesman added that "the strategy we have in place is working."

johnm@peoples-press.com