British paratroops patrol Kabul

Paratroops were greeted warmly by Afghan locals

British troops have carried out their first patrol of the Afghan capital, Kabul, alongside local police.

The paratroops received a warm welcome from local residents as they walked the streets.

Some lined the road to cheer, while others threw confetti.

There is confusion as to the paratroops exact role

The paratroops form part of the 4,500-strong International Security Action Force, to be led by Britain for the first three months of its six-month term and by Turkey for the last three.

The BBC's Jonathan Charles in Kabul says that, despite the absence of any open hostility, some Afghans are unhappy about the presence of foreign soldiers on their soil.

This discontent has led to confusion as to the actual purpose of the paratroops' presence.

The paratroops have limited powers. Unlike the Afghan police, they do not, for instance, have the power of arrest.

Senior Afghan police officer, General Abdul Karduz, told the BBC that, regardless of the disagreements, he was pleased to have the British to help in the process of rebuilding the shattered country.

Arms-free streets

Afghanistan's interim government on Wednesday issued an ultimatum that all armed men except police and official security personnel should move out of Kabul within three days.

All people armed with weapons or ammunition are not allowed to walk in the streets

Yunis Qanuni
Interior Minister

The move followed an agreement signed between the government and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which stated that all Afghan forces should confined to barracks on the edge of the city.

Thousands of loosely organised but heavily armed Northern Alliance troops have occupied Kabul since the Taleban militia fled the city in mid-November.

They will now be required to seek the agreement of the interim administration and notify the multinational force if they plan to move around in large groups.

Disarmament

The Afghan government has been making moves to disarm a city that was awash with firearms after 23 years of war.

Interior Minister Yunis Qanuni said those armed with weapons or ammunition would not be permitted on the streets.

"We have ordered all the armed people except security people and the police to leave the city and go to their old bases." However there is, some say, still deep distrust of the government, and some individuals could retain their weapons despite the agreement.