British Muslims are actively supporting the Taliban and al Qaida in attacks on UK soldiers, the former commander of Britain’s forces in Afghanistan said today.

Brigadier Ed Butler, 46, claimed his troops also uncovered evidence that militant Islamic groups in Helmand Province are suspected of assisting terrorist plots in the UK.

Earlier this year suspicions were raised that the Taliban were recruiting an increasing number of fighters from Britain after RAF experts overheard secret transmissions spoken in broad Midlands and Yorkshire accents.

At the end of the week that saw the toll of British soldiers killed in Afghanistan reach 114, Brig Butler said a growing number of British-born Muslims were assisting the Taliban.

He said: “There are British passport holders who live in the UK who are being found in places like Kandahar.

“There is a link between Kandahar and urban conurbations in the UK. This is something the military understands, but the British public does not.”

Brig Butler, who led British troops in Helmand Province for six months and has served in conflict zones including the Balkans, Iraq, Africa and Northern Ireland, described the operation in Helmand as “the most challenging mission I have done in my career”.

Widely regarded as one of the best British officers of his generation, he announced his decision to retire from the Army earlier this year.

Despite claims his premature retirement was in protest at the Government’s under-funding of the armed forces, Brig Butler insisted his decision to step down was prompted by the desire to spend more time with his family.

He is currently Commander of Joint Force Operations based at Northwood, near London, and will formally leave the Army next year.

British troops have been warned to expect to be toiling through the desert plains and mountain passes of Afghanistan for years to come because of the resurgent Taliban.

In the last two months 17 British soldiers have been killed in the country but politicians and commanders alike agree that there can be no early exit for UK forces.

The British ambassador Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles even suggested last year that a British presence may be needed in the country for another 30 years - although he hastily clarified his remarks to make clear that he was not necessarily talking about a full-scale military force.

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