Milestone in Afghan withdrawal as British HQ leaves Lashkar Gah The headquarters of Taskforce Helmand, Britain's combat forces fighting in the southern province, have been moved to the sprawling base from the town of Lashkar Gah, where they have been based since early 2006. Bastion marks a key milestone as we draw down. By the end of next year, the UK's combat operations in Afghanistan will be over. The Ministry of Defence said the move from Lashkar Gah to Camp Bastion by was "probably the most complex headquarters move on operations ever undertaken by the British Army." Headquarters staff were ferried to their new home by Chinook helicopter on August 9. Brigadier Rupert Jones, current commander of British troops in Helmand, said: "It represents probably the most complex HQ move on operations ever undertaken by the British Army. The move brings to an end a significant chapter in the British Army's history with the headquarters at Lashkar Gah having controlled a great many feats of arms by Taskforce Helmand through the years. Lashkar Gah still holds Britain's aid and development headquarters, but these too are expected to close by the end of the year. The Government is keen to stress the pace of Britain's withdrawal from Afghanistan and the ability of Afghan troops. The Afghan forces are taking heavy casualties however and David Cameron has acknowledged they will need help from Britain "long after" 2014.