THE Archbishop of Canterbury has honoured Britain's armed forces who fought and died in Afghanistan, publicly thanking them during a service held in their memory.
The end of the 13-year conflict was marked by a ceremony of commemoration at St Paul's Cathedral where the Most Rev Justin Welby paid tribute to all those who served, leaving behind family, facing danger and suffering injury.
Almost 150,000 UK personnel were deployed to Afghanistan, and 453 British men and women died in the fight against the Taliban insurgency.
In his address the archbishop said: "Today is a moment for us to say thank you: thank you to all who served, whatever your role."
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh sat at the head of the congregation which included the Prime Minister David Cameron, senior members of the royal family, leading military figures and veterans.
During the service the archbishop rededicated a cross made of shell casings that adorned a memorial wall in the main Allied base in Afghanistan, Camp Bastion.
It forms part of a new Bastion Memorial Wall at the National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire.
Prayers were said for the fallen, civilians left behind while their loved ones served in Afghanistan, and for the people of the troubled Middle East country and its leaders.
Afghan president Ashraf Ghani told the BBC the 453 UK troops had "paid the ultimate sacrifice to enable us to live in freedom, in hope for peace, prosperity and dignity".
Yesterday's commemoration comes after Tony Blair admitted that he had not foreseen just how long the struggle in Afghanistan would last when he first deployed troops in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
In an interview with Forces TV, the former prime minister, who attended the service, said that even now it was not properly under-stood just how much more there was to be done.
"I think we have not yet under-stood the depth of this problem, the scale of it, and the need for a comprehensive strategy to deal
with it," he said.
"It is not just Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. It is happening day in and day out - there are thousands of people losing their lives every few weeks."
He said he believed his decision to deploy British troops in Afghanistan had been justified, although he acknowledged that families who had lost loved ones may feel differently.
* REMEMBERING: British prime minister David Cameron, deputy prime minister Nick Clegg and Labour party leader Ed Miliband during a commemoration service to mark the end of combat operations in Afghanistan at St Paul's Cathedral, London. Bottom, Afghanistan veterans march from the cathedral following a commemoration service
PICTURE: John Stillwell/PA