Kabul - British Defence Minister John Hutton visited his country's troops in southern Afghanistan, while a top US general met with President Hamid Karzai in Kabul, officials said Wednesday.

The visit by top US and British officials comes amid the Afghan government's constant demands to have more control over NATO troops stationed in the war-wracked country.

Hutton, on his second trip to Afghanistan since taking office as Britain's defence secretary in October, arrived on a two-day-trip in the southern province of Kandahar on Wednesday, where he met with his country's troops that are stationed in the region, the NATO headquarters in Kabul said in a statement.

At Kandahar airfield, the main command centre for NATO-led international troops, he was briefed on recent operations conducted by NATO forces in the region and received working demonstrations of vehicles, equipment and weaponry currently used by British forces in the region, it said.

Hutton was scheduled to travel to the southern province of Helmand, where most of the over 8,300 British soldiers are stationed. Helmand is the main hub for Taliban activities and is also the chief opium-producing province in the country.

Meanwhile, general David H. Petraeus, the US commander for south-west Asia met with Karzai on Tuesday evening and discussed the role for the up to 30,000 additional US troops, who are expected to arrive in Afghanistan in the coming months, Karzai's office said in a statement.

"The efficient fight against terrorism on a regional level, new measures to avoid civilian casualties and ways to win the trust and confidence of the Afghan people" were among issues discussed between Karzai and Petraeus, the statement said.

The US government has planned to nearly double its troop presence in Afghanistan by sending up to 30,000 additional soldiers in 2009 to contain the insurgency.

The visits by two of Afghanistan's main supporters in fight against terrorism came at a time when the Afghan government is seeking more control over NATO troop activities in country, in a bid to reduce civilian casualties caused by the international troops.

In an address to parliament on Tuesday Karzai told the lawmakers that he had sent a draft agreement to NATO headquarters some two weeks ago, asking the alliance to comply with the new rules of conduct set by the draft.

The draft agreement would prohibit NATO troops from searching Afghan homes, as well operations not coordinated operations with the Afghan government, an aide said.

Thousands of Afghan civilians have been killed in NATO's military operations - mostly airstrikes - since the ouster of Taliban regime in late 2001.

The NATO statement did not say if Hutton would meet with Afghan officials, while a US military spokesperson said that Petraeus canceled his Wednesday meetings with US commanders and left for the US.

NATO did not elaborate on Petraeus abrupt decision, but US President Barack Obama, was reportedly scheduled to meet with his national security team, including top military officers, to discuss a new US policy toward Iraq and Afghanistan. (dpa)