British army hails Afghanistan withdrawal as 'historic moment'

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/16/british-army-afghan-withdrawal-helmand

Version 0 of 1.

A hugely symbolic moment in the British involvement in Afghanistan has been was reached when forces completed their withdrawal from all but two of its bases in Helmand province, scene of some of the bloodiest fighting.

At the peak of the violence, there were 137 bases in the province. The last of the equipment was brought from of one of the biggest bases on Saturday.

British forces are due to end their combat role at the end of the year but there has been a gradual withdrawal over the last six months, largely free from publicity.

Soldiers serving in Helmand spoke of nostalgia, sentimentality and also relief. Helmand will not be missed by many of those who served there. The British death toll in Afghanistan stands at 448 since the first casualty in 2002.

Asked if the deaths had been worth it, the head of British forces in Helmand, Brigadier James Woodham, said: "It's always a difficult question to ask when there has been a human cost here in central Helmand. I guess ultimately history will judge the worth of what we've been doing at our government's request."

Almost all the British bases in Helmand have either been dismantled or handed over to Afghan forces. Woodham described the handover as "a historic moment" in the British campaign in Afghanistan.

The British handed over to the Afghans Lashkar Gah, which opened in 2006 and was the former headquarters of British military forces in Afghanistan, and the patrol base Lashkar Gah Durai. It has dismantled its main operating base, Price.

British forces were deployed to Helmand in 2006. It is one of the major poppy-growing regions of Afghanistan, and has a strong Taliban presence. The deployment remains controversial, with questions raised about the force being seriously under-strength and without adequate equipment. With reinforcements, the British force in Helmand rose to 9,500.

All that is left of British forces in Helmand is the main headquarters at Camp Bastion and nearby, its last frontline base, Sterga 2. British forces have been largely removed from combat duties throughout Afghanistan, taking a secondary role in support of Afghan forces.

About 50% of British equipment has already been removed from Afghanistan as the force is gradually reduced ahead of the December deadline.

One of those involved in the logistics of the drawdown, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Caldicott, told the Press Association: "I have an extraordinary range of feelings today: mixed feelings of relief that the task is almost complete and a degree of nostalgia because I've seen some of these operating bases grow, regiments pass through them, my own troops deploy and return and now we've emptied them out and they've either transferred or closed."

The defence secretary, Philip Hammond, claimed the handover and closure of bases across Helmand underlined what he claimed were increases in security. He also claimed that those who had served in the bases had contributed to a campaign that "has safeguarded our national security at home".

On Sunday, the Ministry of Defence said that Lashkar Gah was handed over to the Afghans in a ceremony on 24 February and Lashkar Gah Durai on 8 March, and Price was closed on Saturday. At one time Price held 2,000 soldiers, but in the end was down to just 200 – mainly soldiers protecting engineers closing the base.

The dismantling of Price was led by Captain David Goodman of the Aldershot-based Royal Logistics Corps, overseeing the transport of equipment by road and helicopter.

Speaking before the closure of the base, Goodman said: "On the last day, when everything is loaded, when the last vehicles are about to go and the last helicopters are about to go out and we leave this place, it will be quite a nice feeling. I'm not going to miss this place."