Union Jack lowered for last time in Afghanistan as British troops says good bye

With the symbolic ceremony of lowering the Union Jack at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan, it heralded the end of British forces in Afghanistan and the formal handing over of power to Afghan Forces news.sky.com. It ended the 13-year war to an end for British forces – it is believed to have been the longest conflict in modern times.

When at its peak, there was nearly 9,500 British military personnel who were based in Afghanistan as part of Operation Herrick and, in the course of the involvement, a total of 453 British lives were lost fighting the Taliban and thousands more were injured, some of them were injured permanently.
2009 was the deadliest year because in that year, 108 British troops were killed.
Defense Secretary Michael Fallon has indicated that Afghanistan is now a safer, most prosperous and democratic place than as compared to what it was 13-years back. The involvement helped to provide Afghanistan with the best possible chance of a safer future by training a 300,000-strong Afghan army and security force.

Incidentally, Camp Bastion was insignificant but, over the period, it gradually became a huge fortress in Helmand that catered to the ever-growing numbers of troops and the increasing demands of a vicious fight against the Taliban insurgency.,br>