Number 10 rejects Karzai claims

Downing Street has hit back at claims by Afghan President Hamid Karzai that the arrival of British troops made security in his country worse.

The Times reported that Mr Karzai blamed inadequate troop numbers in the southern Helmand Province for helping the Taleban regain its control.

A Downing Street spokesman said he "wouldn't accept" UK presence had helped insurgents to take hold.

He said UK troops had "suffered losses" to aid Afghanistan's development.

The Times said Mr Karzai, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, told a group of journalists that "there was one part of the country where we suffered after the arrival of the British forces", referring to Helmand.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7209257.stm