"It is a theme that we are trying to emphasise with the Afghans. We are not leaving in 2014 and that we will be here and you will be able to depend upon us." He added: "Things have improved dramatically but the picture is not all rosy. Afghan security forces are in a good place but very few if any are in a position where they can operate totally independently. More time is needed to address the insurgency. We have been able to put a lid on insurgent activities ... but we need to have a presence so they don't come back next year." He suggested that Whitehall's inability to get enough troops and equipment for Helmand in the past had made it a "very difficult fight for the British".