Over and out
US Marines walk in line after arriving in Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan Tuesday, as British and US forces withdraw from the Camp Bastion-Leatherneck complex in Helmand Province. British forces handed over formal control of their last base in Afghanistan to Afghan forces on Sunday, ending combat operations in the country after 13 years which cost hundreds of lives.
British soldiers walk with their gear in Kandahar Tuesday. 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.
US Marines, sitting inside the cargo hold of a C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft headed to Kandahar on Tuesday, gesture as British and US forces withdraw from Camp Bastion, a sprawling base located near the provincial capital Laskhar Gah. The province remains a stronghold for Taliban militants whose government was ousted from power in a 2001 US-led invasion.
A handout picture from the British Ministry of Defence shows British troops at Kandahar Airfield on Tuesday. New Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has signed a deal with the US and NATO to allow 12,500 foreign troops, including 9,800 Americans, to stay behind in 2015 to carry out military training after the alliance's combat mission ends. Photos: AFP