(21 Dec 2012) SHOTLIST
1. British Prime Minister David Cameron walking down plane steps, arriving in Camp Bastion
2. Zoom out from chair to Cameron talking to troops
3. Various of troops and military vehicles
4. Cameron inspecting military vehicles
5. SOUNDBITE (English) David Cameron, British Prime Minister: ++Audio partly overlaid with previous shot++
"After 2014 there wont be anything like the number of British troops there are now. There wont be troops in a combat role at all. And we are able to do this draw-down from the nine-thousand we have now in relatively even stages between now and the end of 2014. I think that's something that the whole country will welcome and actually Afghans I think will welcome too."
6. Cameron walking away from helicopter
7. Zoom out of Cameron talking to troops
8. Cameron playing table football
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Commander Bob Bruce, Task Force Helmand Brigadier: ++Audio partly overlaid with previous shot++
"The insurgency is still there, it's not gone. But it doesn't dictate things. The Afghan security forces are in control. The people enjoy the protection of their security forces and it's now absolutely appropriate that we hand more and more of that control over to the Afghans."
10. Various of Cameron singing carols with troops in Camp Price
STORYLINE
British Prime Minister David Cameron has said Afghanistan is doing better than expected and defended recently announced plans for UK forces in the country to be roughly halved to 5,200 next year.
Cameron was in Afghanistan on Thursday for a pre-Christmas visit to the British troops, who form the second-largest NATO contingent fighting to stop the Taliban insurgency ahead of a planned withdrawal date of 2014.
"After 2014 there wont be anything like the number of British troops there are now. There wont be troops in a combat role at all," Cameron said after touring Camp Bastion.
"We are able to do this draw-down from the nine-thousand we have now in relatively even stages between now and the end of 2014. I think that's something that the whole country will welcome and actually Afghans I think will welcome too," he added.
The US-led international coalition formed in the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks hopes to hand security responsibilities over to a stable, friendly Afghan government.
Cameron said in remarks broadcast on Thursday that Afghanistan is still deeply challenged but insisted progress had been made since 2001.
The withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan will start next April, according to British officials.
Cameron has said Britain would continue to support Afghanistan by contributing about 70 (m) million pounds (114-thousand) a year to help pay for Afghan security forces.
Another 70 (m) million pounds a year are spread through other aid programmes.
Since 2001, 438 British personnel have died in Afghanistan.
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