LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron faced criticism on Tuesday for saying that foreign troops had accomplished their mission of providing security in Afghanistan, in an echo of former US president George Bush’s much-derided comments on Iraq in 2003.

During an annual Christmas visit to British troops on Monday, Cameron was asked about the ongoing unrest in Afghanistan.

Asked if British soldiers will be coming home with “mission accomplished”, Cameron told British media: “Yes, I think

they do. I think they can come home with their heads held high.

“To me, the absolute driving part of the mission is a basic level of security so it doesn’t become a haven for terror,” he added.—AFP