The Lingering Legacy: Britain's Enduring Presence In Afghanistan

The UK's 20-year military mission in Afghanistan has come to an end, with the withdrawal of the majority of British troops. The UK's involvement in the country began in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, and the war in Afghanistan cost the lives of 453 British service personnel and thousands of Afghans.

Since combat operations ended in 2014, British forces have been stationed in Kabul, where they have taken a leading role in operations and training. The British Army's Quick Reaction Force has helped provide security for Afghan forces.

The UK officially ended its combat role in 2014, but troops remained in the country in non-combat capacities, on Operation Toral, as part of NATO's Resolute Support Mission. The UK government has stated that it cannot disengage from Afghanistan because of the continued terrorist threat facing Britain and the world.

British troops have been in Afghanistan since 2001, following the 9/11 terrorist attacks

The Taliban regime in Afghanistan had sheltered the Al-Qaeda terrorist network responsible for the attacks. After the Taliban regime had been driven out, UK forces stayed in Afghanistan to help provide security for the new transitional government. They became part of a multi-national force, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

ISAF's role was to oversee the transition to a new government and provide security for the redevelopment of the war-torn country. In 2001, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) created ISAF, backed by the United Nations (UN). Their initial role was to secure Kabul, the Afghan capital. By April 2002, there were 1,700 British soldiers working alongside other NATO allies.

In 2003, the UK deployed Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT) in the north of Afghanistan. By March 2004, the British also provided the bulk of a Quick Reaction Force based at Mazar-e-Sharif. But the security situation was deteriorating. A reorganised Taliban began copying the terror tactics of Iraqi insurgents. In January 2004, Private Jonathan Kitulagoda became the first British soldier killed in a combat role when a suicide bomber detonated his device next to his vehicle.

In April 2006, the British redeployed in strength, focusing on Helmand Province in the south. Over 3,000 troops were sent to help with reconstruction efforts. They operated out of Camp Bastion, a specially built base in the desert near the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah. But operations were far more intense than expected, and British soldiers were drawn into heavy firefights in towns like Musa Qala and Sangin.

In 2009, there were 108 fatalities among British troops, more than twice as many as the previous year. In Britain, media coverage – especially of repatriation ceremonies – helped to bring greater public awareness of the conflict. There was a growing unease about the original aims of military intervention and its likelihood of bringing peace. At the same time, there was a visible groundswell of support for troops fighting in Afghanistan.

In 2010, UK troop numbers reached their peak with around 10,000 troops deployed across Afghanistan. Later that year, discussions began over the withdrawal of NATO forces and in 2011, US President Barack Obama announced the planned withdrawal of US soldiers. Over the next few years, UK forces concentrated their efforts on training Afghanistan’s own security forces, and began handing over key parts of Helmand Province to Afghan forces.

In 2014, Britain formally ended all combat operations in Afghanistan and most UK troops returned home. The British combat mission ended with the handover of Camp Bastion to Afghan forces on 26 October 2014. Some British troops remained in Afghanistan in training and advisory roles based in Kabul and Helmand.

The UK's military role in the country ended in 2014, but troops remained in non-combat roles until 2021

The UK's military role in Afghanistan began in 2001, in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. The British war in Afghanistan spanned the tenures of three prime ministers and cost the lives of 453 British service personnel and thousands of Afghans.

In 2014, British combat troops left Afghanistan. However, small numbers of British troops remained in the country until 2021, helping to train and advise the Afghan National Security Forces. They were no longer engaged in active combat operations.

The UK's military role in Afghanistan can be divided into several phases.

Phase 1: 2001-2006

In 2001, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) created the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), backed by the United Nations (UN). Their initial role was to secure Kabul, the Afghan capital. By April 2002, there were 1,700 British soldiers working alongside other NATO allies.

In 2003, the UK deployed Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT) in the north of Afghanistan and provided the bulk of a Quick Reaction Force based at Mazar-e-Sharif.

Phase 2: 2006-2014

In 2006, as part of a reorganisation of ISAF (now under NATO control), British troops were sent to the southern province of Helmand. Their intended role was to provide stability and security for reconstruction projects. However, their arrival provoked a violent response from a resurgent Taliban.

The British combat mission in Afghanistan ended in 2014 with the handover of Camp Bastion to Afghan forces on 26 October 2014.

Phase 3: 2014-2021

After the end of combat operations in 2014, British military operations in Afghanistan focused on training and advisory roles as part of Operation Toral, the UK's contribution to the NATO Resolute Support Mission. British troops were stationed in Kabul and had three main non-combat roles:

• 'Guardian Angels': providing security and protection to NATO advisors and government officials.
• Transporting and accompanying government officials across the capital and beyond.
• Forming part of NATO's Quick Reaction Force, responding to emergency situations across the capital.

In 2020, operational control of the Afghan National Army Officer Academy was handed over from NATO to the Afghan authorities. Britain had helped establish the academy in 2013, modelling it on Sandhurst and investing £75 million in its development.

In April 2021, the UK announced that British troops would withdraw from Afghanistan, in line with the US and wider NATO decision. Coalition forces were withdrawn by 31 August 2021.

Over the course of the UK's 20-year military mission in Afghanistan, a total of 150,610 UK personnel served in the country. More than 450 British personnel died, and over 600 suffered life-changing injuries.

The British war in Afghanistan spanned three prime ministers and cost the lives of 453 British service personnel

The UK's military role in the country began in 2001, in the wake of 9/11. The conflict has dominated front-page news for many years.

The war spanned the tenures of three prime ministers: Tony Blair, who led the UK into Afghanistan; Gordon Brown, who was prime minister from 2007 to 2010; and David Cameron, who announced the withdrawal of 500 British troops in 2011.

The UK ceased all combat operations in Afghanistan and withdrew the last of its combat troops on 27 October 2014. However, some British troops remained in the country in non-combat capacities, on Operation Toral, as part of NATO's Resolute Support Mission.

Between 2001 and 24 July 2015, a total of 454 British military personnel died on operations in Afghanistan. A further estimated 2,000 British military and civilian personnel were wounded in action.

The war in Afghanistan sucked in enormous resources. What was planned as a short-term reconstruction mission turned into a full-blown war. At its peak, there were 137 UK bases and around 9,500 British troops in Helmand Province alone.

The legacy of the British campaign is hard to determine. British strategy was never clear, and public opinion in the UK increasingly turned against the war.

Prime Minister David Cameron said in 2013:

> Britain has played a huge and honourable role in trying to do everything we can to give Afghanistan the chance of stability and security, and to make sure that it never again is a haven for terror. I know that the real long-term answer for Afghanistan is not simply security and stability and peace with its neighbours, but the real answer for Afghanistan is prosperity and growth and jobs and investment and wealth. That is absolutely key to the future of the country.

The UK's mission in Afghanistan was codenamed Operation Herrick and later Operation Toral

The UK's mission in Afghanistan was initially codenamed Operation Herrick, which began in 2002 and ended in 2014. It consisted of the British contribution to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and support to the American-led Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). Operation Herrick superseded two previous efforts in Afghanistan: Operation Veritas and Operation Fingal.

In 2012, Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the number of troops serving in Helmand Province would be reduced. The UK ceased all combat operations in Afghanistan and withdrew its last combat troops on 27 October 2014.

Following the end of Operation Herrick, British military operations in Afghanistan focused on training as part of Operation Toral, the UK's contribution to the NATO Resolute Support Mission. Operation Toral was the codename given to the British element of NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan. The operation ended in July 2021, though a small number of personnel remained in the country for diplomatic support.

Operation Toral had two major tasks: training and mentoring Afghan Forces, and providing force protection for NATO advisors via the Kabul Security Force/Kabul Protection Unit. The operation also included the Toral Aviation Detachment, which provided helicopter support for NATO forces.

The UK was part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and supported the American-led Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)

The UK was part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and supported the American-led Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). This involvement was known as Operation Herrick, the codename for all British operations in the War in Afghanistan from 2002 until the end of combat operations in 2014. It was the UK's contribution to the UN-authorised ISAF mission.

Operation Herrick superseded two previous efforts in Afghanistan: Operation Veritas, which consisted of support during the US invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, and Operation Fingal, which involved leadership and a 2,000-strong contribution for a newly formed ISAF in Kabul after December 2001.

Since 2003, Operation Herrick has been the name of all UK operations in Afghanistan. It increased in size and breadth to match ISAF's growing geographical intervention in the country.

In January 2006, the UK announced it would send a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) with several thousand personnel to Helmand for at least three years. This was part of the gradual expansion of ISAF's area of responsibility from Kabul to the rest of Afghanistan.

In 2004, a detachment of six Royal Air Force fighters from Joint Force Harrier was based at Kandahar Airfield to support American OEF forces. A planned withdrawal in mid-2006 was postponed to provide air support for the new ISAF expansion across the south of the country.

The UK ceased all combat operations in Afghanistan and withdrew the last of its combat troops on 26 October 2014.

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