Gavin Williamson has said British streets will only be safe when there is peace in Afghanistan, as he vowed to support the country's security forces in a meeting with country's president.

The Defence Secretary met Ashraf Ghani in Kabul on Saturday and praised Afghan security forces for their work in combatting terrorism, saying Britain would continue to support Afghan troops.

Mr Williamson also met the country's chief executive Abdullah Abdullah who praised Britain's efforts to increase Nato defence spending, a statement from the president's office said.

Meanwhile in Baghdad military leaders in Iraq, Iran and Syria held talks with Russian counterparts today as they seek to drive out the last remnants of Islamic State.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson inspects a guard of honor during a welcoming ceremony before his meeting with the president of Afghanistan (not pictured) in Kabul on Saturday

According to Afghan broadcaster 1TV News, Mr Williamson told the country's president that the the security of the two nations was linked.

'A complete peace will only be felt on UK roads and streets when there is peace on the streets of Afghanistan', he was quoted as saying.

Abdullah Abdullah tweeted after the meeting to say he was 'honoured' to meet Britain's Defence Secretary.

He said: 'In our meeting we discussed bilateral relations, political and security developments and the peace process.

'We also assessed ways of fighting terrorism and supporting the Afghan Armed Forces.'

Mr Williamson's department came under fire this week amid a row over Afghan interpreters who said they felt 'betrayed' by the lack of clarity over their future.

Officials have said around 50 who served on the frontline in Helmand, and their families, would be granted visas to Britain under new qualifying measures.

Gavin Williamson speaks to Ashraf Ghani, the president of Afghanistan, in Kabul where he said British streets would not be safe until there was peace in the country

Iraqi military commanders sit down with Iranian, Syrian, and Russian counterparts in Baghdad

In Baghdad Iraq's defence ministry said it had held talks today to 'strengthen cooperation and coordination in terms of security and intelligence between these countries'.

Russia is fighting rebels and jihadists in Syria alongside President Bashar al-Assad's forces, while Iran is a key ally of Damascus as well as Iraq.

ISIS has suffered major setbacks in Iraq and Syria and has been driven out of Iraq's urban centres but the group has claimed responsibility for a number of suicide attacks.

The four countries had created joint operations rooms to coordinate the fight against ISIS, now driven out of all urban centres in Iraq and largely confined to desert holdouts in Syria.

On Thursday a suicide bomber killed two Iraqi policemen near a former ISIS bastion, days after the group claimed a similar attack near Syria's border.

An attacker wearing an explosive vest drove a booby-trapped car into a federal police checkpoint near Hawija, north of Baghdad, officials said.