Afghan President Hamid Karzai has become the first foreign leader to meet the new UK Prime Minister David Cameron.
Karzai stopped off in London on his way back from Washington, after a high-profile visit to soothe ties with US President Barack Obama.
Observers say the trip shows just how important NATO’s Afghan operation is to Karzai.
His administration has been criticised for failing to tackle corruption.
Many say this is hurting U.S.- led efforts to fight the Taliban.
Hurting is something British troops and their families back home are all too familiar with.
Almost 300 soldiers have been killed in action since the Afghan conflict began in 2001.
Britain is the second-largest contributor of troops to the NATO-led Afghan force, with 9,500 based mainly in the southern province of Helmand.
The previous Labour government was criticised for failing to provide adequate equipment for its soldiers.
Copyright © 2011 euronews
Tags: Afghanistan, David Cameron, Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai speaking at the Munich Security Conference in 2009
Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Saturday visited the UK for talks with newly-elected Prime Minister David Cameron. The meeting took place at , the prime minister's official country residence, and is Cameron's first since last week's general election. Karzai was en route back to Afghanistan from a visit to the United States where he held talks with President Barack Obama. 

Downing Street called the meeting "an opportunity for early discussions" between the Afghan president and the new prime minister, pointing out that Karzai himself had requested the meeting to follow up on conversations the two leaders had had while Cameron was leader of the opposition. 
David Cameron giving a speech to the World Economic Forum earlier in 2010  
According to a spokesman, the discussions had centred around Karzai's visit to the US, which he called "very successful", and "both the president and prime minister agreed that the relationship between Afghanistan and Britain should be further strengthened ... The president and the prime minister expressed their admiration for the courage and skill of the British military in Afghanistan, and the sacrifices that British forces have made".

After the meeting with Karzai, Cameron held further discussions with his Defence Secretary  along with senior civil servants and service chiefs. The UK's contingent of the NATO force in Afghanistan currently numbers around 9,500— the second largest contingent after the United States.