Taliban Threat to UK Prime Minister David Cameron Raises Alarm in London

(Aug. 27) -- A call for stepped-up security measures has been made in London after fears that the Taliban targeted Prime Minister David Cameron's helicopter during a recent visit to Afghanistan, British media reported today.

Cameron was forced to abandon a visit to British frontline troops in Helmand province in June just five minutes after takeoff, following intelligence information that insurgents were planning to attack an unnamed VIP traveling by helicopter.

Stefan Rousseau, AFP / Getty Images

British Prime Minister David Cameron arrives in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province, in June during his first visit to Afghanistan. Cameron's office has been asked to review his security after he narrowly avoided a Taliban attack during the visit.

No alarm was raised when the first of two intercepted phone conversations suggested the Taliban were planning to shoot down a helicopter, The Guardian reported. But when a second conversation mentioned the VIP, Cameron's Chinook was ordered to make an emergency landing.

At the time, the British government played down the significance of the event, according to the newspaper. It quoted an official at 10 Downing Street, the prime minister's residence, as saying, "This should not be seen as a huge security issue."

Today, however, The Times of London said that senior military figures believe the Taliban knew which helicopter Cameron was aboard and that they are demanding changes in the way any future visits to war zones by British officials are carried out. They are also expressing concern about the depth of the Taliban's intelligence.

A similar report was made today by the BBC, which quoted a former British commander in Afghanistan, Col. Richard Kemp, as saying, "We sometimes underestimate the Taliban's sophistication [and] intelligence collection capability, and they are very, very good at it."

The Taliban, he told the BBC radio "Today" program, had "sources in many places," including Afghanistan's own security forces and "even in military bases."

There was no official comment on the reports from Downing Street, but several options were reportedly being considered, including a full ban on media coverage when the prime minister is in Afghanistan.

According to the political correspondent for the U.K.'s Sky News, the government is "furiously resisting" a complete blackout of future visits.

The correspondent, Niall Paterson, said the call for a change in security could be a case of the military "setting out a marker" and asserting itself.

The BBC's political correspondent, Carole Walker, said, "There's no official comment from Downing Street, but it's clear they are taking the security warnings seriously and rethinking the scheduling and media arrangements for future visits to take far greater account of the risks involved."