British Prime Minister David Cameron was flying to a British base in Helmand province on Thursday when telephone calls between Taliban insurgents were intercepted, suggesting a plan to fire on his helicopter.

Mr Cameron and the party of aides and journalists travelling with him were unharmed and no physical attack is believed to have taken place.

But the apparent threat to the Prime Minister threatens to overshadow his first visit to Afghanistan since taking office, which was intended to underline the improving security situation in the country.

Mr Cameron had arrived in Kabul on Thursday morning before flying on to Camp Bastion, the main British base in Helmand. From there, he set out on a series of visits to see British and Afghan security forces and development projects.

After visiting an Afghan agricultural project, Mr Cameron set off for Patrol Base Shahzad near Lashkar Gar, where around 80 men from the Duke of Lancaster’s regiment are based.

During the short flight – scheduled for 15 minutes – military commanders decided to abort Mr Cameron’s visit to the base, due at around 6pm local time.

The decision was made because two separate intercepted calls suggested an attack on a helicopter in the area.

The first referred in general terms to attacking a helicopter and was regarded as routine “chatter” among insurgents.

The second call, however, referred specifically to an attack on a dignitary visiting the Shazhad base. Mr Cameron’s presence in the area had not been made public at the time.

Shazhad is in area previously dominated by the Taliban and fought over by Nato troops during Operation Moshtarak last year.

After the calls were intercepted, Brigadier Richard Felton, the commanding officer of Task Force Helmand, who was at the Shahzad base, decided that Mr Cameron’s visit was too risky.

Military intelligence analysts say there is a growing threat to Nato helicopters in Afghanistan.

Earlier this week, a US military helicopter crashed in Helmand, killing four crew. The Taliban claimed to have shot the aircraft down.

The Prime Minister’s Chinook was in the air at the time Brg Felton made his decision. The helicopter was diverted on to the next scheduled stop in Lashkar Gar itself, where Mr Cameron met British troops at a barbeque.

It is understood that Mr Cameron only became aware of the incident on arrival at the alternative destination.

Mr Cameron’s aides tried to downplay the importance of the incident, insisting that it did not reflect the wider picture of improving security in Helmand.

The Prime Minister was “disappointed” not to have been able to visit the Shahzad base, an aide said.

(Source: Telegraph UK)