British army hails Afghanistan withdrawal as 'historic moment' --- British troops pull out from all but two bases in Helmand with death toll at 448 since the first casualty in 2002 -- A hugely symbolic moment in the British involvement in Afghanistan has been was reached when forces completed their withdrawal from all but two of its bases in Helmand province, scene of some of the bloodiest fighting. -- At the peak of the violence, there were 137 bases in the province. The last of the equipment was brought from of one of the biggest bases on Saturday. -- British forces are due to end their combat role at the end of the year but there has been a gradual withdrawal over the last six months, largely free from publicity. -- Soldiers serving in Helmand spoke of nostalgia, sentimentality and also relief. Helmand will not be missed by many of those who served there. The British death toll in Afghanistan stands at 448 since the first casualty in 2002. -- Asked if the deaths had been worth it, the head of British forces in Helmand, Brigadier James Woodham, said: "It's always a difficult question to ask when there has been a human cost here in central Helmand. I guess ultimately history will judge the worth of what we've been doing at our government's request." -- Almost all the British bases in Helmand have either been dismantled or handed over to Afghan forces. Woodham described the handover as "a historic moment" in the British campaign in Afghanistan. -- The British handed over to the Afghans Lashkar Gah, which opened in 2006 and was the former headquarters of British military forces in Afghanistan, and the patrol base Lashkar Gah Durai. It has dismantled its main operating base, Price. - More, Ewen MacAskill, Guardian, at: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/16/british-army-afghan-withdrawal-helmand