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Oct. 3, 2014: Afghanistan's president Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, second right, listens as Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron talks during a news conference at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. (AP)

KABUL, Afghanistan Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday pledged support for Afghanistan's newly sworn-in president and the country's new unity government, saying during a surprise visit to Kabul that Britain is committed to helping Afghans build a more secure and prosperous future.

Cameron was the first of world leaders to meet Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, Afghanistan's second elected president, since his inauguration on Monday. The two had a meeting in Kabul on Friday morning and later held a joint press conference.

"Britain has paid a heavy price for helping to bring stability to this country," Cameron said, paying tribute to the 453 British servicemen and women who died while serving in Afghanistan.

"An Afghanistan free from Al Qaeda is in our national interest -- as well as Afghanistan's," he said. "And now, 13 long years later, Afghanistan can -- and must -- deliver its own security."

But, "we are not leaving this country alone," he added. "In Britain you will always have a strong partner and a friend."

Cameron arrived a day after visiting British pilots in Cyprus who are taking part in airstrikes on Islamic State group targets in Iraq. British warplanes have been conducting combat missions over Iraq since Saturday, after Britain joined the U.S.-led coalition of nations that are launching airstrikes against the militants.

"The work of defeating Islamist extremist terror goes on elsewhere in the world," Cameron said in Kabul. "And because this threatens us at home, we must continue to play our part."

Ghani Ahmadzai thanked the British for their sacrifices in Afghanistan, especially the families who lost loved ones in the war. "They stood shoulder to shoulder with us and we will remember," he said.

Ghani Ahmadzai's inauguration this week marked the start of a new era for his country, with a national unity government poised to confront a resilient Taliban insurgency.

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Britain's Cameron in surprise visit to Afghanistan