MOSCOW, October 26 (RIA Novosti) - The US Marine Corps and UK combat forces officially ended military operations in Afghanistan in a ceremony Sunday morning, marking the transfer of the last military bases to Afghan troops.
"It is with pride that we announce the end of UK combat operations in Helmand, having given Afghanistan the best possible chance of a stable future," Defense Secretary Michael Fallon was quoted as saying by BBC, while handing over camp Bastion.
Camp Bastion was UK troop’s main base in the Afghan province of Helmand since 2006. At the same time, the US handed over the adjoining largest US base, Camp Leatherneck.
The Afghanistan war, known as America’s longest combat, has killed 453 British troops and 2,349 US personnel since 2001, according to the news outlet.
Noting that mistakes were made, Fallon was quoted saying that UK’s armed forces laid a strong foundation for Afghan forces, “set the security context that enabled the first democratic transition of power in the country's history and stopped it being a launch pad for terrorist attacks in the UK”.
Following the 13 year war aimed at dismantling the al-Qaeda terrorist network, president Obama in May said that US will complete withdrawal from Afghanistan by the end of 2016, adding that 32,000 US soldiers in Afghanistan would be cut down to around 9,800 by the start of 2015. The remaining troops will take on an advisory role to the Afghan forces.
