Historic moment: a British general became the first commander since WWII to lead an international force

Wearing desert fatigues, cap badge pulled down over his left eye, a frown etched on his face, General Richards, second from the right, had just taken control of the Herat Room, the command centre at the heart of Nato's headquarters in Afghanistan.

Most unusually, this historic scene inside the military's main briefing room in Kabul was captured by a painter  -  British portrait artist Brendan Kelly, who spent more than a year and a half completing the work, which fills a huge 11ft by 5ft canvas.

The painting depicts all the senior figures running the war in Afghanistan

Last night Mr Kelly said: 'I was commissioned as a war artist to go out to Kabul to paint a large group portrait of all the senior figures running the war in Afghanistan.

'I was always aware of artists who had done war paintings but never thought that one day I might head out to a war zone to do the same.

'It is rare today for a portrait painter to be asked to capture a moment in history. I guess that's normally left to other mediums, like film and TV.

'The perspective in the picture converges on Helmand on the map at the back, where much of the fighting was taking place. This helps unify the picture and suggests the common concerns of those present.'

He added: 'Actually, I stole this idea from Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper.'

Paid a reputed £80,000 for the commission, the artist went to Kabul in December 2006 and spent two weeks in the Green Zone.

Putting the picture together was a painstaking process. First Mr Kelly used a group of Army privates as body doubles for the officers.

The squaddies adopted various poses until the painter found the right combination for the final portrait. He then called in the officers in small groups or individually, to photograph them around the room.

In all he took 2,500 photographs looking for the right combinations.

The final photographic image was made up of 200 pictures stitched together on a computer.

He then used this image as the template to begin his oil painting.

During a nine-month tour beginning in May 2006, General Richards had 32,000 troops from 37 countries under his command and oversaw the start of Operation Oqab (Eagle), a mission aimed at winning hearts and minds, and reconstruction.

Standing alongside the British General in the painting is the Afghan Defence Minister, General Abdul Rahim Wardak, a former Mujahideen commander who fought against the occupying Soviet army in the Eighties.

The finished work will be unveiled at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in Whitehall later this month.

General Richards, now Commanderin-Chief of UK Land Forces, is due to be among the guests.

The painting, however, is not so popular among junior officers at the Allied Rapid Reaction Force in Germany, whose commanders feature in it.

They were forced to contribute to its cost  -  through a £20 to £30 monthly hike in their compulsory 'subscription to mess'.

1 Major General A Watt (Canadian)

2 Brigadier NAW Pope (UK)

3 UK officer

4 Brigadier RR Davis CBE (UK)

5 Lieutenant Colonel AD Johnston MBE (UK)

6 Major General GE Gay (Italian)

7 US officer

8 Major General JJC Bucknall CBE (UK)

9 UK officer

10 Brigadier NG Smith (UK)

11 Brigadier RE Nugee MBE (UK)

12 Mr T Jagger MOD (UK)

13 Brigadier General HC Ammon (German)

14 Lieutenant Colonel JU Biggart MBE (UK)

15 Major General SR Layfield (US)

16 Brigadier RJC Maxwell OBE (UK)

17 General DJ Richards CBE, DSO (UK)

18 General Wardak (Afghan Defence Minister)