British troops have ended their combat operations in Afghanistan, defense officials said Sunday.
At an event marking the ceremonial handover of U.S. Camp Leatherneck and Britain's Camp Bastion, military personnel lowered the American and British flags for the last time on Sunday and folded them away.
The U.S. Camp Leatherneck and Britain's Camp Bastion, which are located close to each other in the Helmand province, jointly formed the international coalition's regional headquarters in southwest Afghanistan.
The handover of Camp Bastion to the Afghan military ends an important episode in the 13 year campaign in Afghanistan by the U.S. and Britain.
The UK Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said on BBC's Andrew Marr program that Britain was ending the operations with pride, as it had helped Afghanistan reach a stage where it had the best possible chance of a stable future.
"What we are saying to you is we have given Afghanistan the best possible chance of a safer future, primarily through the sacrifice of our own troops and other NATO troops in building up the Afghan army itself," he said, reports The Guardian.
However, he added that there was no guarantee Afghanistan would be stable and safe after the departure of the coalition troops.
Elaborating further, Fallon said that the operations can be termed successful as Afghanistan was no longer a refuge for terrorists plotting attacks against Britain and rest of Europe.
He also said that Britain will continue to support Afghanistan "through institutional development, the Afghan National Army Officer Academy, and development aid, "reports the Associated Press.
The British death toll in the Afghan operation stands at 453.
