An Afghan soldier “executed” a prisoner on a British base in Helmand province, Ministry of Defence documents disclose.

AFGHAN forces should be leading security operations across the country by 2014, an international conference agreed yesterday, with the aim of relieving foreign troops in some areas by as soon as the end of the year.

British troops are to pull out of Afghanistan by 2014 according to a secret document mapping out a blueprint for the withdrawal of coalition forces, it was reported today.