David Cameron and President Hamid Karzai to sign agreement on Afghanistan's future Some of that work is already under way, including the creation of new police stations, education schemes for women and a UK-funded Afghanistan Business Innovation Fund, according to Downing Street. Mr Cameron is also keen to seek assurances that Afghan forces will be able to maintain security on their own to prevent the country from being used as a safe haven for international terrorists. It follows the announcement by France's President Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday, following talks with President Karzai, that France will pull its troops out a year earlier than planned. Mr Karzai said in Paris that Afghan troops would replace the French. It also comes as the Ministry of Defence confirmed a British soldier from the 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment had been killed in Afghanistan. It brings the total number of British military personnel killed in Afghanistan since the start of operations in October 2001 to 397. The soldier, who has not yet been named, was serving as part of Combined Force Nahr-e Saraj (North), and was taking part in an International Security Assistance Force foot patrol to disrupt insurgent activity when he received a fatal gunshot wound.