David Cameron makes surprise visit to Afghanistan

British Prime Minister David Cameron made a surprise visit to Kabul, Afghanistan, on Friday to meet with new unity government's leaders-President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah.

He is the first major Western leader to visit post the bitterly contested presidential referendum.

Prime MInister Cameron's visit came four days after President Ashraf Ghani was sworn into office.

He praised both Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah for working together to form a unity government, but said, "The real and pressing need is for this new national unity government to bring the country together in a way that can deliver non-corrupt good governance to the whole of Afghanistan and indeed offer a path into taking part in politics to all those who want to give up violence."

Ghani thanked the British troops that had fought in Afghanistan and also offered thanks to the families of British servicemen who had died there. He said the problems Afghanistan faces-from terrorism to poverty-cannot be fought by Afghanistan alone.

He said, "We face joint threats. There cannot be Fortress Europe or Fortress America. We live, whether we like it or dislike it, in an integrated world where global forces both for good and for evil coexist."

Behind the United States, Britain has been the second-largest contributor to the international military coalition that has been in Afghanistan since the 2001 U.S.-led intervention to topple the Taliban's radical Islamist regime in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

Over 450 British troops have been killed in Afghanistan during the subsequent war against the Taliban insurgency and its militant allies.

Most British troops will withdraw at the end of this year, as the coalition's combat mission ends and Afghanistan's newly trained security forces take over the fight against the Taliban.