village by village.

Karzai's call to put Afghan troops in charge by the end of 2013 matches recent plans agreed by Barack Obama and David Cameron for a quicker shift for their troops from a lead fighting role to a support role.

The Obama administration rebuffed Karzai's call for an immediate withdrawal of US and other international forces from villages. It also played down the Taliban walkout from the reconciliation talks, portraying it as part of the normal "ups and downs" of any such peace negotiations.

The White House spokesman Jay Carney said there were no plans to change the current strategy and insisted the US was still working to a 2014 deadline.

The Pentagon spokesman, George Little, said the US and Afghan governments shared the same goals, and Karzai's statement reflected"President Karzai's strong interest in moving as quickly as possible to a fully independent and sovereign Afghanistan". He added: "We believe that we need to continue to work together because that's an American goal as well."

Some diplomats dismissed Karzai's demand that soldiers return to their bases as political posturing, pointing out that he had made the same request before, though in less high-profile settings.

"He wants it but he will not get it. It's impossible because their forces are not ready," said another senior western diplomat. "They may, however, be ready next year and that demand is nothing new, it is what Cameron and Obama were talking about."

The embassy in Kabul said the US aimed to have Afghans in charge of security by the end of 2013, but did