Nato leaders have said Afghan security forces will take over military command for the conflict by the middle of next year, and reaffirmed their commitment to removing Isaf forces from a combat role by 2014. Following a summit in Chicago, US President Barack Obama vowed to continue helping Afghanistan after the combat withdrawal, admitting the transition could be a “messy process”.

Nato leaders have said Afghan security forces will take over military command for the conflict by the middle of next year, and reaffirmed their commitment to removing Isaf forces from a combat role by 2014. Following a summit in Chicago, US President Barack Obama vowed to continue helping Afghanistan after the combat withdrawal, admitting the transition could be a “messy process”.

Britain and Nato should "play an important role" in Afghanistan after the transition to Afghan security control, the Prime Minister has said.

Speaking at the Nato summit in Chicago, David Cameron said the organisation had confirmed that 2014 would be the deadline for the Isaf mission, and that the transfer of full security responsibilities to the Afghan security forces was "on track and on target".

He confirmed that by the middle of 2013 domestic forces would be "in the lead for security across the whole country".

However Nato and the UK "will not desert the people of Aghanistan" after the withdrawal, the Prime Minister insisted.

He said that Nato would not establish a new combat mission in the country, but would continue to play a role in "training, advising and assisting" domestic forces, and making " a decisive and enduring commitment" in the country.

The Prime Minister then paid tribute to the work of British forces in Afghanistan, saying troops could leave “with their heads held high” having done a “great job”.

President Obama delivered a similar message to the Prime Minister, declaring: "As Afghans stand up, they will not stand alone," adding "more Afghans are reclaiming their communities, Afghan security forces have grown stronger."

He said there now existed "a clear road map" for winding down operations in Afghanistan, although a non-security presence would remain in the medium term.

"This will not mark the end of Afghanistan challenges, obviously, or our partnership with that important country, but we are making substantial progress against our core objective of defeating Al-Qaeda and denying it safe haven, while helping the Afghans to stand on their own."

There are "hard days ahead" for Afghanistan, the US President has warned at the NATO summit. Barack Obama made the remarks as France's new President Francois Hollande confirmed he would pull French troops out by the end of 2012, two years ahead of schedule. NATO is planning a security handover in the country in 2014.

A small force could be left behind in Afghanistan after 2014 withdrawal to combat international terrorism.

The plans were revealed at the Nato summit in Chicago by a British senior official, who said there could be a continued fighting role for UK troops to stop al Qaeda trying to re-establish a foothold in the country after the international troops have left.

Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen insisted allied troops would complete the handover of responsibility for Afghan security to the country’s own forces by the end of 2014. “By the end of 2014… you will see a gradual change of the role of our troops, from combat to support,” he said.

The Prime Minister said plans for the handover remained "on track": "We want an Afghanistan that is for everybody. The more we can do that, the less there will be an insurgency."

Nato leaders have warned that an early withdrawal from Afghanistan would be detrimental. President Hollande's election promise to withdraw all his troops by the end of this year could cause a rise in insurgent attacks, the military leaders say. The G8 summit will try to find common ground between the 28 Nato members and the French President in order to stop the united front presented in Afghanistan from fracturing. Both President Obama and David Cameron still support the deadline of 2014.

There has been "no specific threat" to the London Olympics, the Defence Secretary has revealed.

Philip Hammond told the Andrew Marr show that the military security operation for the Games was based on an overall threat level rather than specific intelligence. He also insisted the military presence would not distract from the Games themselves.

"The idea now is that the military will fade into the background. We don't want to dominate these Games; we want it to be a festival of sport and of culture, but the military will be there and we want people to know that the military are there in the background to provide ultimate reassurance.”

Mr Hammond also extended his condolences to the two British servicemen killed today by members of the Afghan police force. The two men, one an airman, the other a soldier, were helping provide security for local officials in Helmand province in the south of Afghanistan.

The Government has abandoned a probe into increasing the issue of bravery medals to front-line service personnel after forces chiefs said the promised review would “devalue” the system. A senior military source told The Sun newspaper: “Cameron came into office without really knowing a thing about what we do — or why. Our medal system is the most respected in the world, largely because they are so hard to win — and it’s important it stays that way.”

President Obama has pledged to “finish the job” in Afghanistan and said he is “committed to replacing war with peace".

In a surprise visit to the country, Mr Obama signed an agreement on future Afghan-US ties with President Hamid Karzai and called the pact "a historic moment" for both nations.

The President added that the upcoming Nato summit would see the alliance "set a goal for Afghan forces to be in the lead for combat operations across the country next year".

Hours after his speech, at least seven people died in an attack in Kabul. Afghan officials said at least two suicide bombers targeted a guesthouse popular with foreigners in the eastern part of the capital. The Taliban later claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said the attacks were launched to "get into the headlines" and make it appear in the western world that "we are not making enough progress".

"We are building up the Afghan security forces so that they can defend their own country without it presenting a danger to the rest of us across the world."

US President Barack Obama has arrived on an unannounced visit to Afghanistan to sign an agreement on bilateral relations with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

The agreement will outline the US role in the country after the Nato pull out in 2014. He will also give a television address to US citizens.

Documents found in the house where Osama bin Laden was killed have revealed a close relationship between the Al Qaeda leader and Mullah Omar, the commander of the Taliban. Last year Nato and the UN moved to officially separate the two groups in sanctions lists, to pave the way for peace talks with Taliban insurgents. However new documents reveal frequent discussions of joint operations against Nato forces in Afghanistan.

Nato has reported that a coalition soldier has been killed by a man wearing an Afghan National Army uniform in Kabul. The shooter was killed by return fire, and an investigation is now underway.

US defence officials have confirmed that a Nato helicopter with four people on board crashed yesterday in south-west Afghanistan. It is not yet clear whether any of the soldiers on the Black Hawk helicopter survived. The Ministry of Defence has said that no British troops were involved in the incident.

Britain is the only country to make a public pledge of funds to help fund the Afghan Security force following Nato talks on Wednesday. The United States hopes to get annual contributions totalling  €1bn from its Nato allies to help fund Afghan security after troops withdraw in 2014.