Source: Dawn
British forces on Sunday handed over formal control of their last base in Afghanistan to Afghan troops, ending combat operations in the country after 13 years which cost hundreds of lives.
The Union Jack was lowered at Camp Bastion in the southern province of Helmand, while the Stars and Stripes came down at the adjacent Camp Leatherneck, the last US Marine base in the country.
All Nato combat troops will depart Afghanistan by December, leaving Afghan troops and police to battle Taliban insurgents on their own.
The huge joint base built in the desert near the provincial capital Lashkar Gah was the most important installation for the Nato mission in Afghanistan.
Between 2010 to 2011, it housed almost 40,000 foreigners including sub-contractors.
Hundreds of US Marines and British troops are set to leave Helmand soon, though the precise date has not been revealed for security reasons.
In a ceremony Sunday the Afghans took formal control of the base, despite already being present in a portion of it. The British and US flags were lowered, leaving only Afghanistan’s national flag to flutter in the breeze.
Categories: Europe, Europe and Australia, European Union
I feel sorry for the families of the soldiers who died in Afghanistan – for what?