FILE PHOTO: British troops lower the Union Flag during a ceremony marking the end of operations for U.S. Marines and British combat troops in Helmand October 26, 2014. British troops ended their combat operations in Afghanistan on Sunday as they and U.S. Marines handed over two huge adjacent bases to the Afghan military, 13 years after a U.S.-led invasion launched the long and costly war against the Taliban. Picture taken on October 26, 2014. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani (AFGHANISTAN – Tags: MILITARY POLITICS CONFL