In Photos: Last Of U.S., British Troops Leave Afghanistan's Helmand Province

By Eyder Peralta

Published October 27, 2014 at 5:52 PM EDT

U.S. Marines sit inside the cargo hold of a C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft headed to Kandahar.

Monday morning, the last of American and British troops left Camps Leatherneck and Bastion in Afghanistan's Helmand province. As we've reported, this is a big deal symbolically, because Helmand saw some of the bloodiest fighting of the 13-year American-led war.

Over at Parallels, NPR's Sean Carberry takes a look at the big picture, asking, "With Marines gone, can the Afghan army hold off the Taliban?"

Here we'll leave you some images from the day:

Marines prepare to depart upon the end of operations for Marines and British combat troops in Helmand province. 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.

Marines onboard a helicopter at Kandahar Air Field upon the end of operations for the Marines and British combat troops in Helmand.

CH-53E and Chinook helicopters with U.S. Marines take off from Camp Bastion in Helmand province, on Monday.

A U.S. Marine unloads ammunition from a rifle magazine into his helmet after arriving in Kandahar from Camps Leatherneck-Bastion on Monday.

Eyder Peralta

Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.

See stories by Eyder Peralta

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