KABUL, Afghanistan
UK Armed Forces have ended their combat operations in Helmand Province, paving the way for the final transfer of the security portfolio to Afghan National Security Forces after 13 years of their stay, the NATO-led International Security and Assistance Force announced on Sunday.
Some 453 British soldiers lost their lives fighting Taliban resistance in a country that takes pride in inflicting heavy losses on mighty British colonial forces, during the Anglo-Afghan wars in the 19th and 20th centuries.
The statement added that, Michael Fallon, the British Secretary of State for Defense, expressed pride in announcing the end to the mission: “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.”
The Defense Secretary added that British troops’ sacrifice had laid the foundations for a strong Afghan security force, 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.
Chief of Defense Staff General Sir Nick Houghton said: “Over 13 years of operations in Afghanistan, thousands of men and women from all of our Armed Forces have played a hugely significant role in delivering a legacy of security for the people of Afghanistan.”
Helmand’s Governor, Naeem Baloch, acknowledged that British troops and their allies had helped to improve security in the province: “We are very grateful for the courage and commitment of your soldiers and we are ready to deliver security ourselves.”
The British military presence in Afghanistan began in October 2001, when troops deployed as part of the NATO response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S.
Control of Camp Bastion and Camp Leatherneck was given to the Afghan National Army's 215th Corps. Around 10,000 UK troops were once stationed at Camp Bastion, a number that has now fallen to a few hundred.
Reports emerging from Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhaar province suggest convoys of truck have been piling up in the border town of Torkham, containing military goods to be transported to the UK via Pakistan.
Most NATO allies are scheduled to end their combat missions by the end of this year, leaving most of the security responsibilities to the nascent Afghan security forces.
Some countries, such as the US, Germany, Turkey and India, have signed strategic partnership agreements with Kabul and have vowed to keep a smaller number of troops in Afghanistan to continue training missions.
Afghan forces inflict heavy losses on Taliban as UK ends mission in Afghanistan
Afghan national security forces have killed at least 70 insurgents and injured 102 others during ground clearing operations in the past 24 hours, according to statements released by Afghan defense and interior ministries on Sunday.
During the same period of time, the statement confirmed at least nine troops had lost their lives as a result of direct fire and bomb explosions.
The operations are part of an effort to push forward and regain more areas from militants before the mountains become inaccessible due to snow.
The operations were carried out in various provinces of Afghanistan and aimed to capture or kill the militants, according to Najeebullah Danish, the deputy spokesman of the Ministry of Interior.
“As the season for fighting comes to its end in Afghanistan, Afghan forces have conducted operations to hunt down Taliban militants before they go to their hideouts,” Danish told the Anadolu Agency.
According to a statement sent to media outlets on Sunday, separate operations by the Afghan Intelligence Service ended in the arrest of five terrorist groups in five provinces, including the capital, Kabul.
Taliban militants refused the official figures and called it Afghan government propaganda.
“Taliban Mujahideen have killed nine soldiers and 30 others were captured during an operation in the eastern Badakhshan provinces which started on Sunday morning," a Taliban statement said on Sunday.
Despite immense Taliban losses, it seems there is no corresponding decline in their activities.
According to the Afghan government, dozens of Taliban militants are being killed, injured or captured by Afghan forces on a daily basis.
In the advent of a cold winter in Afghanistan, the Taliban slowdown their operations and move to their safe havens.
“Since Taliban militants use motorbikes for their activities and live in mountainous areas, they are vulnerable to the winter and cold weather. Usually by December, Taliban insurgents end their operations on national forces in Afghanistan and cross the border to Pakistan,” Afghan senator Nisar Haris explained.
Also, British troops have ended their 13 years of combat operations in Afghanistan by handing over its last and largest military base, Camp Bastion, to Afghan security forces in southern Helmand province on Sunday.
The UK was one of the first countries which sent troops to Afghanistan along with the United States to topple the Taliban regime in 2001.
As of October 26 2014, the UK has suffered a total of 453 fatalities.
Afghanistan has seen a wave of deadly attacks since the new government took power a month ago, putting pressure on it to control the militancy.
Afghan security forces are widely expected to face security challenges in the coming years, as they will not have the direct support of foreign forces who will leave by end of 2014.
“Afghan forces will experience a hard task in the future, but I believe they will overcome it and repel Taliban attacks,” Haris added.
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