LONDON, July 6 (UPI) -- The number of British forces in Afghanistan will drop by 500 to 9,000 by the end of next year, the British prime minister said Wednesday.
U.S. President Barack Obama announced last month that tens of thousands of U.S. combat forces would start leaving Afghanistan. His announcement followed statements from Afghan President Hamid Karzai that he wanted Afghan security forces in control by 2014.
British Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the number of British forces deployed to Afghanistan would drop to 9,000 by the end of 2012.
"We are now entering a new phase in which the Afghan forces will do more of the fighting and patrolling and our forces more training and mentoring," he told the House of Commons. "As President Obama said in his address last month, the mission is changing from 'combat to support.'"
Cameron said the war was entering a new phase as Afghan security forces continue to display their growing abilities. The international community praised Afghan forces for their success during the Taliban seizure of a Kabul hotel last month.
Cameron's announcement follows the withdrawal for 426 British military personnel planned for February.
