British troops and U.S. Marines hand over military bases to Afghan military 13 years after the invasion that launched the war against the Taliban

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The hand-off ends 13 years of a US-led-invasion into Afghanistan that saw the toppling of the Taliban
Troops lowered the American and British flags for the final time on Sunday and folded them away
Camp Leatherneck is the largest US base to be handed over to Afghan control, housing up to 40,000 military personnel and contractors
The base was a dust-swept ghost town of concrete blast walls, empty barracks and razor wire
The departure leaves Afghanistan and its new president to deal almost unaided with an emboldened Taliban insurgency

Published: 12:33 EST, 26 October 2014 | Updated: 10:31 EST, 27 October 2014

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A fleet of planes and helicopters airlifted the last U.S. and British forces from a key base in southern Afghanistan on Monday, a day after the international coalition closed the massive facility and handed it over to the Afghan military.

The troops' withdrawal and base closure in the province of Helmand is one of the largest operations in the winding down of the international combat mission in Afghanistan, 13 years after the toppling of the radical, Islamist Taliban regime.

Monday's withdrawal operation passed off peacefully as part of a planned drawdown, though there was a sense of deja vu among some soldiers.

'It was surreal,' said Marine communications officer Captain Anthony Nguyen, 33, of Houston, Texas.

Over a decade of war: US Marines board a C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft headed to Kandahar as they prepare to head home 13 years after U.S.-led forces invaded Afghanistan to stop the Taliban

Violence remains: Combat operations in the country cost hundreds of lives over the course of 13 years. Casualties among both civilians and Afghan security forces are near all-time highs this year, with hundreds killed and wounded each month in the conflict

Heading home: Helmand was a major focus of a 2010 troops surge to wrest control back from the Taliban. At its height, the NATO-led force had some 140,000 military personnel from nearly 50 nations

'We're not refugees or anything, but it kind of reminding me of scenes of Vietnam, of people running to the helicopters...just this mad dash to the aircraft,' added Nguyen, who is Vietnamese-American.

The NATO-led international force is now shifting to a reduced role of support as Afghanistan's newly trained army and police take over the fight against a resurgent Taliban.

Casualties among both civilians and Afghan security forces are near all-time highs this year, with hundreds killed and wounded each month in the conflict.

The withdrawal of the remaining U.S. and British troops from the combined base of Camp Leatherneck and Camp Bastion was carried out over 24 hours of near-continuous flights back and forth between Helmand and Kandahar Air Field, the aviation hub for southern Afghanistan.

For the Marines' HMH 366 Hammerheads helicopter squadron, which flew on the final wave of the airlift Monday, there was a sense of pride in that the same unit also participated in the 2011 withdrawal from Iraq.

'It's definitely a sense of history,' said Staff Sergeant Ryan Hoover, of Vicksburg, Mississippi.

For the U.S. Marines and British forces leaving Helmand, the airlift was the first stop on the way home – all of them will be flown out of Afghanistan by the end of the year, and some within days.

'It's been a long time away – I'm looking forward to getting back to normal life ... kiss the wife and kiss the kids,' said Major Raymond Mitchell, a Marine from Rocky Mountain, North Carolina, who deployed to Afghanistan in January.

'It's almost like it's not over here': Some troops admitted that, with fighting still ever present in Helmland, leaving felt like just handing the war over to someone else

Major undertaking: The withdrawal of the remaining U.S. and British troops from the combined base of Camp Leatherneck and Camp Bastion was carried out over 24 hours of near-continuous flights back and forth between Helmand and Kandahar Air Field

Long way home: A US Marine gestures inside a Super Hercules aircraft as he heads to Kandahar before eventually heading home

Back to Britain: Camp Bastion and Camp Leatherneck alone once had some 40,000 military personnel and civilian contractors as the regional headquarters for the U.S.-led international military coalition. Pictured are two British soldiers, among the country's last remaining combat troops

Tense moments: British soldiers walk with their gear after arriving in Kandahar on Monday, as British and US forces withdraw from the Camp Bastion-Leatherneck complex in Helmand province

Most will leave: For the U.S. Marines and British forces leaving Helmand, the airlift was the first stop on the way home – all of them will be flown out of Afghanistan by the end of the year, and some within days

Taking inventory: M240 machine guns are pictured on tables as US Marines arrive in Kandahar on Wednesday

Unloading: A US Marine unloads ammunition from a rifle magazine into his helmet after arriving in Kandahar

Helmand was a major focus of a 2010 troops surge to wrest control back from the Taliban. At its height, the NATO-led force had some 140,000 military personnel from nearly 50 nations.

Camp Bastion and Camp Leatherneck alone once had some 40,000 military personnel and civilian contractors as the regional headquarters for the U.S.-led international military coalition.

The Marine Expeditionary Force-Afghanistan is the last Marines unit in the country, while the British forces at Helmand were the Britain's final combat troops.

By Jan. 1, there will be only 12,500 foreign forces in the country – 9,800 of them Americans – to advise and train the Afghan security forces that have been built up almost from scratch in recent years.

Staff Sergeant Kenneth Oswood, of Romney, West Virginia, is one of the few members of the squadron who participated in both the Iraq withdrawal and Monday's Helmand airlift.

Drawdown: By January 1, there will be only 12,500 foreign forces in the country – 9,800 of them Americans – to advise and train the Afghan security forces that have been built up almost from scratch in recent years

Camp Leatherneck, the largest U.S. base to be handed over to Afghan control, and Camp Bastion together formed the international coalition's regional headquarters for the southwest of Afghanistan, housing up to 40,000 military personnel and civilian contractors

'It's a lot different this time .... Closing out Iraq, when we got there, we were told there hadn't been a shot fired in anger at us in years. And then you come here and they are still shooting at us,' said Staff Sergeant Kenneth Oswood, of Romney, West Virginia

Heavy: A British soldier receives assistance on his pack by his comrades after arriving in Kandahar on Monday

Casualties: In all, 2,210 American soldiers and 453 British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since 2001

International forces: The coalition has been led by NATO since 2003, and includes forces from Germany, Italy, Jordan and Turkey

'It's almost like it's not over here, and we're just kind of handing it over to someone else to fight.'

But on Sunday, the base resembled a dust-swept ghost town of concrete blast walls, empty barracks and razor wire. Offices and bulletin boards, which once showed photo tributes to dead American and British soldiers, had been stripped.

'It's eerily empty,' said Lt. Will Davis, of the Queen's Dragoon Guards in the British Army. Camp Bastion was also where Prince Harry was based in 2012 as an Apache helicopter gunner.

In all, 2,210 American soldiers and 453 British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since 2001, when the U.S.-led coalition toppled the Taliban government for harboring al Qaeda after the militant group carried out the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

British soldiers and U.S. Marines attend a the ceremony of the British, US and NATO flags being lowered at the Camp Bastion-Leatherneck camp complex for the last time in Afghanistan

Soldiers embrace as the British flag is brought down and the Afghan one goes up

British Armed Forces have ended combat operations in Helmand Province in Afghanistan, paving the way for the final transfer of security to the Afghan National Security Forces

US Marines roll the American flag during the handover ceremony

The coalition has been led by NATO since 2003, and includes forces from Germany, Italy, Jordan and Turkey.

After Sunday's ceremony, the Afghan National Army's 215th Corps will be headquartered at the 28 sq km (11 sq mile) base, leaving almost no foreign military presence in Helmand.

The U.S. military is leaving behind about $230 million worth of property and equipment -- including a major airstrip at the base, plus roads and buildings -- for the Afghan military.

'We gave them the maps to the place. We gave them the keys,' said Col. Doug Patterson, a Marine brigade commander in charge of logistics.

Speaking on BBC television, British Defence Minister Michael Fallon said British armed forces had helped to strengthen the Afghan security forces, who were now taking on 'full responsibilities.'

'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,' he said.

Afghan Defence Ministry welcomes US, UK troop pull out

British forces October 26 handed over formal control of their last base in Afghanistan to Afghan forces, ending combat operations in the country after 13 years that cost hundreds of lives

Soldiers salute during the hand-off ceremony to Afghan soldiers

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

Helmand province, which produces 80-90 percent of the opium that helps finance the Taliban's insurgency, has seen fierce fighting this year, with Taliban and allied forces seeking to seize the district of Sangin from the Afghan army and police.

The battles have raised concerns about whether Afghan forces are truly able to hold off the Taliban without intelligence and air support from the United States and its allies.

Officials with the U.S.-led coalition say the Afghan forces, which have been losing hundreds of soldiers and policemen each month in battles, assassinations and suicide attacks by insurgents, did not lose any significant ground in the recent summer fighting season.

'I'm cautiously optimistic they will be able to sustain themselves,' said Brig. Gen Daniel Yoo, the commander of Regional Command (Southwest).

He said the success of the Afghan security forces depended on leadership, continued development of logistics and confidence.

'They've got to want it more than we do,' he said.

A general view of the Camp Bastion-Leatherneck complex at Lashkar Gah in Helmand province on Saturday

A US Marine carries a plastic bag over his shoulder as British and US troops prepare to withdraw from the Camp Bastion-Leatherneck complex

US Marines load equipment onto a C-130 transport aircraft

US Marines load equipment onto a C-130 transport aircraft as they withdraw from the Camp Bastion-Leatherneck complex

International forces in Afghanistan boosted their numbers to about 140,000 in 2010 troops with the aim of wresting control of Helmand back from the Taliban. By Jan. 1, that number will be about 12,500, comprising mostly trainers and advisers.

Of those, 9,800 will be American, with the rest from other NATO members. The British will keep a small contingent at an officer training school in Kabul.

Gen. John Campbell, head of coalition forces in Afghanistan, acknowledged Helmand 'has been a very, very tough area' over the last several months.

'But we feel very confident with the Afghan security forces as they continue to grow in their capacity,' he said.

He said that the smaller international force that will remain next year will still provide some intelligence and air support, two areas where Afghan forces are weak.

General Sher Mohammad Karimi, chief of staff of the Afghan National Army, also said the insurgency 'will keep us busy for a while'.

'We have to do more until we are fully successful and satisfied with the situations,' he said.

Civilian casualties in Afghanistan may reach an all-time high this year, with the United Nations reporting nearly 5,000 killed or wounded in the first half of 2014, most of them by the insurgency.

Several Afghans at Sunday's ceremony expressed pride at taking over the base, mixed with sadness that the international forces with whom they have worked with for years are leaving for good.

'We are going to miss our friends,' said Afghan Brig. Gen. Nasim Sangin. 'But we will still be in touch by email.'