Nato’s military operations in southern Afghanistan have come under intensified scrutiny this month. Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, said Washington’s Nato allies in Afghanistan “don’t know how to do counter-insurgency operations”, which was inferred as criticism of British, Canadian and Dutch forces. Then last week, Hamid Karzai, Afghan president, disparaged the performance of Britain’s 7,000 troops in Helmand province.

Britain rejected Mr Karzai’s accusations and Mr Gates later said that he was not singling out Nato’s forces in the south but referring to the Nato alliance as a whole.