By . Sophie Jane Evans . PUBLISHED: . 11:56 EST, 16 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 19:36 EST, 16 March 2014 . These photos show British troops continuing their withdrawal from Afghanistan - leaving all but one frontline operating base outside Camp Bastion. The British Combat Logistics Patrol were pictured arriving at the gates of the major military camp - which is also being shut down - after departing from operating bases across Helmand Province. They could be seen driving military trucks laden with equipment, weapons, ammunition and explosives, before carrying the gear into the base. Withdrawal: The British Combat Logistics Patrol are captured arriving at the gates of Camp Bastion after departing from operating bases across Helmand Province . Journey: They can be seen driving military trucks laden with equipment, weapons, ammunition and explosives, before carrying the gear into the major military camp . Proud: Speaking from Camp Bastion, Brigadier James Woodham said the handover of operating bases marked a 'historic moment' in Britain's campaign in Afghanistan . Heading home: The last British Combat Logistics patrol heads back to Camp Bastion after recovering equipment and material from closed down UK operating bases in Helmand Province . Britain has now reached a major milestone in the drawdown from Afghanistan as it works towards withdrawing all combat troops by the end of the year. A total of 448 UK forces personnel have died in the country since the conflict began in 2001 - and more than 5,000 still remain there. But in an operation lasting more than a month, three of the largest British bases in . Helmand have now been closed down or handed over to Afghan control - with just . one base, . Sterga 2, remaining in the province, effectively becoming the UK's front . line in the area. The head of British forces in Helmand yesterday hailed the handover of the bases as a 'historic moment' in the Britain's military campaign in Afghanistan. Speaking from Camp Bastion, Brigadier James Woodham, Commander of . Task Force Helmand, said: 'If I speak . to my Afghan counterparts, they are hugely grateful for the investment . of the British forces here in central Helmand. 'They believe the progress they have made, the confidence that they have now, will hold them in good stead for the future.' Milestone: Britain has now reached a major milestone in the drawdown from Afghanistan as it works towards withdrawing all combat troops by the end of the year . Clean-up: In an operation lasting more than a month, three of the largest British bases in Helmand have now been closed down or handed over to Afghan control - with just one base, Sterga 2, remaining in the province, effectively becoming the UK's front line in the area. Above, soldiers clean their weapons at Camp Bastion . Dismantling: One of the bases to be dismantled was Main Operating Base Price, which was shut down yesterday. Above, Brigadier Woodham poses at Camp Bastion . He said he had . seen huge progress in central Helmand since his last tour of duty in . 2009/10, which gave him 'hope for the future' - adding: 'It is really difficult . for people in the UK to understand the changes. 'They are really proud of the progress they have made, I just . wish we could capture that and take that back to the UK, but I have seen . it through my eyes and it is really powerful stuff.' He said he had particularly noticed a difference in Nade-e Ali, which had been . transformed from 'a warzone' into somewhere now 'primarily . peaceful'. And when asked if the sacrifice of the 448 British lives had been worth it, he said: 'It is always a difficult question to ask when there has been a . human cost here in central Helmand. Successful operation: Defence Secretary Philip Hammond (pictured) said the handover and closure of UK bases across Helmand 'underlines the progress UK Forces have made to increase security and stability across the province' 'I guess ultimately history will judge the worth of what we've been doing at our Government's request here.' Two of the bases handed over to Afghan control in recent weeks include Main . Operating Base (MOB) Lashkar Gah - the former headquarters of UK . military forces in Afghanistan - and Patrol Base (PB) Lashkar Gah Durai. And Camp Bastion itself - the main military headquarters of British forces in Afghanistan - is expected to be shut down by the end of the year. The handovers are the latest milestones in a drawdown that has seen UK bases reduce from 137 at the height of the campaign, while Afghan forces are now leading 97 per cent of all security operations across the country and carrying out over 90 per cent of their own training. Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said: 'The handover and closure of our bases across Helmand underlines the progress UK Forces have made to increase security and stability across the province but also to build up the capability of the Afghan forces who will carry that work forward. 'Those service personnel who have served in Lashkar Gah and Lashkar Gah Durai and at MOB Price as part of successive UK brigades have made a huge contribution to the campaign which has safeguarded our national security at home. 'UK combat operations will cease by the end of this year but our support for the Afghan people will continue. Meanwhile, our troops will continue the mammoth task of getting our people and equipment home by Christmas.' Britain's main base at Lashkar Gah, which opened in 2006 and served as the headquarters of Task Force Helmand until it moved to Camp Bastion in August, was handed over to the Afghans in a ceremony on February 24. Meanwhile, Lashkar Gah Durai, which commands an important junction in Helmand, was handed over to the Afghans on March 8. And Main Operating Base Price (MOB), the UK's largest forward location for most of Operation Herrick, was shut down yesterday. Lieutenant General John Lorimer, deputy commander of ISAF, the most senior Briton in Afghanistan, said: 'This is a key milestone in the ISAF mission as we prepare for the conclusion of combat operations at the end of 2014. 'These bases have been vital in the UK contribution to securing the south of the country from the insurgency and their handover underlines the progress being made in reducing the ISAF footprint." He told the Press Association that he had 'no doubts' that Afghan forces will be able to look after their own security beyond the end of this year. He said the Afghan National Security Forces had grown into a 'competent organisation', who were: 'capable, confident in themselves, and credible in the eyes of the Afghan people'. 'Everything I've seen since I've been out here this time, since June last year, leads me to believe that the Afghans will be able to look after their own security,' he said. Lieutenant Colonel Steve Davies, commanding officer of Task Force Helmand Engineer Group, agreed that the drawdown was a sign of how successful the Afghan National Security Forces had been in taking over the fighting role in the country. Positive: Brigadier Woodman said he had seen huge progress in Helmand since his last tour of duty in 2009/10, giving him 'hope for the future'. Above, Camp Bastion . Weapons: Two of the bases handed over to Afghan control in recent weeks include Main Operating Base (MOB) Lashkar Gah - the former headquarters of UK military forces in Afghanistan - and Patrol Base (PB) Lashkar Gah Durai. Above, ammunition boxes and explosive containers are pictured at Camp Bastion in March this year . However, he added that tearing down . bases which British troops 'fought so hard to build' in Afghanistan . carries a certain amount of . sentimentality for those who have served there over the last few years. 'For those who have completed a number of tours there will be a sentimental aspect to it,' he said. 'I think it is satisfying to see the move that has taken place because if you look where Afghanistan was over a decade ago and where it is now, it is unrecognisable. 'If we roll forward to where we are now and one can look at it that we are tearing down structures that we fought so hard to build, it is a sign of development and I see it very much as a part of mission success for the ANSF because they have developed to a point where we don't need those points of presence.' Lt Col Davies likened the programme to dismantling an entire village and carting it away - with the difference being that they have to stay safe, secure and supplied until the last soldiers leave. Death toll: A total of 448 UK forces personnel have died in the country since the conflict began in 2001 - and more than 5,000 still remain there. Above, the coffin of Warrant Officer Ian Fisher, from the 3rd battalion, the Mercian Regiment, who died in a suicide blast in Afghanistan, is carried from Lichfield Cathedral in Staffordshire . Speaking before MOB Price's closure yesterday, Major Oliver Major, the commanding officer of C Company of 3 Mercian Regiment, said that at its peak, the base held up to 2,000 soldiers - but at the end, it was home to just 200. He said what home comforts the base had - including a canteen and a gym - were slowly taken away - and for the last 10 days, the soldiers had eaten field rations and lived out of what they could carry in their rucksacks. 'We are an infantry company, being out and about and doing stuff on the ground is what we do,' he said. 'The guys are very, very adaptable. 'As long as they have got the basics of life, as long as they have somewhere to wash, as long as they have decent food, as long as they have a way of talking to home, they will adapt to whatever they are told to do.' The dismantling of MOB Price was led by Captain David Goodman, of Aldershot-based Royal Logistics Corps. Equipment left in several ways, including helicopter, combat logistic patrols (CLPs) and regular road lorries, he said, all inside ISO shipping containers. Speaking before the base closed, Capt Goodman said: 'I'm now dreaming of ISO containers. There have been so many here, every day we are sending out 20 to 30, and it is a nightmare. You wake up in the middle of the night thinking "did this container go?".' He said that with 20-30 different military and civilian units involved in the closure, it had been impossible to keep everyone happy. He added: 'On the last day when everything is loaded, when the last vehicles are about to go and the last helicopters are about to go out and we leave this place, it will be quite a nice feeling. I'm not going to miss this place.'
British Combat Logistics Patrol pictured arriving at Camp Bastion after leaving military bases in Helmand Province .
Can be seen driving military trucks laden with equipment, weapons, ammunition and explosives into main UK base .
Britain has now reached major milestone in drawdown from Afghanistan as it works towards withdrawing all troops .
A total of 448 UK forces personnel have died in country since conflict began in 2001 - and more than 5,000 remain .
Head of British forces in Helmand today hailed handover of bases as 'historic moment' in UK's military campaign .
By . Sophie Jane Evans . PUBLISHED: . 11:56 EST, 16 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 19:36 EST, 16 March 2014 . These photos show British troops continuing their withdrawal from Afghanistan - leaving all but one frontline operating base outside Camp Bastion. The British Combat Logistics Patrol were pictured arriving at the gates of the major military camp - which is also being shut down - after departing from operating bases across Helmand Province. They could be seen driving military trucks laden with equipment, weapons, ammunition and explosives, before carrying the gear into the base. Withdrawal: The British Combat Logistics Patrol are captured arriving at the gates of Camp Bastion after departing from operating bases across Helmand Province . Journey: They can be seen driving military trucks laden with equipment, weapons, ammunition and explosives, before carrying the gear into the major military camp . Proud: Speaking from Camp Bastion, Brigadier James Woodham said the handover of operating bases marked a 'historic moment' in Britain's campaign in Afghanistan . Heading home: The last British Combat Logistics patrol heads back to Camp Bastion after recovering equipment and material from closed down UK operating bases in Helmand Province . Britain has now reached a major milestone in the drawdown from Afghanistan as it works towards withdrawing all combat troops by the end of the year. A total of 448 UK forces personnel have died in the country since the conflict began in 2001 - and more than 5,000 still remain there. But in an operation lasting more than a month, three of the largest British bases in . Helmand have now been closed down or handed over to Afghan control - with just . one base, . Sterga 2, remaining in the province, effectively becoming the UK's front . line in the area. The head of British forces in Helmand yesterday hailed the handover of the bases as a 'historic moment' in the Britain's military campaign in Afghanistan. Speaking from Camp Bastion, Brigadier James Woodham, Commander of . Task Force Helmand, said: 'If I speak . to my Afghan counterparts, they are hugely grateful for the investment . of the British forces here in central Helmand. 'They believe the progress they have made, the confidence that they have now, will hold them in good stead for the future.' Milestone: Britain has now reached a major milestone in the drawdown from Afghanistan as it works towards withdrawing all combat troops by the end of the year . Clean-up: In an operation lasting more than a month, three of the largest British bases in Helmand have now been closed down or handed over to Afghan control - with just one base, Sterga 2, remaining in the province, effectively becoming the UK's front line in the area. Above, soldiers clean their weapons at Camp Bastion . Dismantling: One of the bases to be dismantled was Main Operating Base Price, which was shut down yesterday. Above, Brigadier Woodham poses at Camp Bastion . He said he had . seen huge progress in central Helmand since his last tour of duty in . 2009/10, which gave him 'hope for the future' - adding: 'It is really difficult . for people in the UK to understand the changes. 'They are really proud of the progress they have made, I just . wish we could capture that and take that back to the UK, but I have seen . it through my eyes and it is really powerful stuff.' He said he had particularly noticed a difference in Nade-e Ali, which had been . transformed from 'a warzone' into somewhere now 'primarily . peaceful'. And when asked if the sacrifice of the 448 British lives had been worth it, he said: 'It is always a difficult question to ask when there has been a . human cost here in central Helmand. Successful operation: Defence Secretary Philip Hammond (pictured) said the handover and closure of UK bases across Helmand 'underlines the progress UK Forces have made to increase security and stability across the province' 'I guess ultimately history will judge the worth of what we've been doing at our Government's request here.' Two of the bases handed over to Afghan control in recent weeks include Main . Operating Base (MOB) Lashkar Gah - the former headquarters of UK . military forces in Afghanistan - and Patrol Base (PB) Lashkar Gah Durai. And Camp Bastion itself - the main military headquarters of British forces in Afghanistan - is expected to be shut down by the end of the year. The handovers are the latest milestones in a drawdown that has seen UK bases reduce from 137 at the height of the campaign, while Afghan forces are now leading 97 per cent of all security operations across the country and carrying out over 90 per cent of their own training. Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said: 'The handover and closure of our bases across Helmand underlines the progress UK Forces have made to increase security and stability across the province but also to build up the capability of the Afghan forces who will carry that work forward. 'Those service personnel who have served in Lashkar Gah and Lashkar Gah Durai and at MOB Price as part of successive UK brigades have made a huge contribution to the campaign which has safeguarded our national security at home. 'UK combat operations will cease by the end of this year but our support for the Afghan people will continue. Meanwhile, our troops will continue the mammoth task of getting our people and equipment home by Christmas.' Britain's main base at Lashkar Gah, which opened in 2006 and served as the headquarters of Task Force Helmand until it moved to Camp Bastion in August, was handed over to the Afghans in a ceremony on February 24. Meanwhile, Lashkar Gah Durai, which commands an important junction in Helmand, was handed over to the Afghans on March 8. And Main Operating Base Price (MOB), the UK's largest forward location for most of Operation Herrick, was shut down yesterday. Lieutenant General John Lorimer, deputy commander of ISAF, the most senior Briton in Afghanistan, said: 'This is a key milestone in the ISAF mission as we prepare for the conclusion of combat operations at the end of 2014. 'These bases have been vital in the UK contribution to securing the south of the country from the insurgency and their handover underlines the progress being made in reducing the ISAF footprint." He told the Press Association that he had 'no doubts' that Afghan forces will be able to look after their own security beyond the end of this year. He said the Afghan National Security Forces had grown into a 'competent organisation', who were: 'capable, confident in themselves, and credible in the eyes of the Afghan people'. 'Everything I've seen since I've been out here this time, since June last year, leads me to believe that the Afghans will be able to look after their own security,' he said. Lieutenant Colonel Steve Davies, commanding officer of Task Force Helmand Engineer Group, agreed that the drawdown was a sign of how successful the Afghan National Security Forces had been in taking over the fighting role in the country. Positive: Brigadier Woodman said he had seen huge progress in Helmand since his last tour of duty in 2009/10, giving him 'hope for the future'. Above, Camp Bastion . Weapons: Two of the bases handed over to Afghan control in recent weeks include Main Operating Base (MOB) Lashkar Gah - the former headquarters of UK military forces in Afghanistan - and Patrol Base (PB) Lashkar Gah Durai. Above, ammunition boxes and explosive containers are pictured at Camp Bastion in March this year . However, he added that tearing down . bases which British troops 'fought so hard to build' in Afghanistan . carries a certain amount of . sentimentality for those who have served there over the last few years. 'For those who have completed a number of tours there will be a sentimental aspect to it,' he said. 'I think it is satisfying to see the move that has taken place because if you look where Afghanistan was over a decade ago and where it is now, it is unrecognisable. 'If we roll forward to where we are now and one can look at it that we are tearing down structures that we fought so hard to build, it is a sign of development and I see it very much as a part of mission success for the ANSF because they have developed to a point where we don't need those points of presence.' Lt Col Davies likened the programme to dismantling an entire village and carting it away - with the difference being that they have to stay safe, secure and supplied until the last soldiers leave. Death toll: A total of 448 UK forces personnel have died in the country since the conflict began in 2001 - and more than 5,000 still remain there. Above, the coffin of Warrant Officer Ian Fisher, from the 3rd battalion, the Mercian Regiment, who died in a suicide blast in Afghanistan, is carried from Lichfield Cathedral in Staffordshire . Speaking before MOB Price's closure yesterday, Major Oliver Major, the commanding officer of C Company of 3 Mercian Regiment, said that at its peak, the base held up to 2,000 soldiers - but at the end, it was home to just 200. He said what home comforts the base had - including a canteen and a gym - were slowly taken away - and for the last 10 days, the soldiers had eaten field rations and lived out of what they could carry in their rucksacks. 'We are an infantry company, being out and about and doing stuff on the ground is what we do,' he said. 'The guys are very, very adaptable. 'As long as they have got the basics of life, as long as they have somewhere to wash, as long as they have decent food, as long as they have a way of talking to home, they will adapt to whatever they are told to do.' The dismantling of MOB Price was led by Captain David Goodman, of Aldershot-based Royal Logistics Corps. Equipment left in several ways, including helicopter, combat logistic patrols (CLPs) and regular road lorries, he said, all inside ISO shipping containers. Speaking before the base closed, Capt Goodman said: 'I'm now dreaming of ISO containers. There have been so many here, every day we are sending out 20 to 30, and it is a nightmare. You wake up in the middle of the night thinking "did this container go?".' He said that with 20-30 different military and civilian units involved in the closure, it had been impossible to keep everyone happy. He added: 'On the last day when everything is loaded, when the last vehicles are about to go and the last helicopters are about to go out and we leave this place, it will be quite a nice feeling. I'm not going to miss this place.'
Logistics Patrol were pictured arriving at the driving military trucks laden with equipment, weapons, ammunition and explosives, before British Combat Logistics Patrol are captured arriving at the gates of Camp Bastion after military trucks laden with equipment, weapons, Province . Britain has now reached a major milestone in the drawdown from Afghanistan as it works towards withdrawing all combat troops by the end of the year. A total of 448 UK forces personnel have died in the country since the conflict began in 2001 - and more than 5,000 area. The head of British forces in Helmand yesterday hailed the handover of the bases as a 'historic moment' in the Britain's military