David Cameron, the UK prime minister, was forced to cancel a visit to troops at an outpost in southern Afghanistan after the British military intercepted communications that suggested insurgents were planning to shoot down his helicopter.
The Chinook carrying Mr Cameron towards the patrol base at Shahzad in Helmand province was diverted to a British military base in Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital, where the prime minister resumed his programme.
“They [the British military] intercepted a phone call about wanting to bring a helicopter down,” a UK official said, adding that the call was intercepted quite close to where the helicopter was due to land. “They picked up a second communication which seemed to suggest they knew a VIP was possibly in the helicopter.”
Four US soldiers were killed on Wednesday when insurgents shot down their helicopter in Helmand, according to a statement from Isaf, the Nato-led force in the country.
UK officials had been hoping to showcase Shahzad as an area where the presence of British forces has improved security for locals. “He [Cameron] is disappointed when it gives the impression that the security situation is not good when to all intents and purposes the opposite is true,” the official said.
The decision to divert the flight was taken by Brigadier Richard Felton, the commander of Task Force Helmand, the UK official said.
Mr Cameron had met Gulab Mangal, the governor of Helmand, and visited a UK-funded agricultural college. He had flown to the province in southern Afghanistan after holding talks on Thursday with Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan’s president, in Kabul.
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