Britain Honors Afghan War Effort

Britain has paid tribute to the soldiers who died and served in Afghanistan with a memorial service, military parade, and fly-past in London.

Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family joined veterans in the service at London's St. Paul's Cathedral.

Britain was part of a U.S.-led coalition that fought the Taliban in Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.

Almost 150,000 Britons served in the conflict, and 453 died.

Britain formally ended its 13-year campaign in Afghanistan in October 2014, when the last British combat troops were airlifted from Camp Bastion in the southern province of Helmand.

A few hundred soldiers remain in advisory roles to help the Afghan army.

The international coalition's mission ended in December, leaving Afghan security forces to fight the Taliban.

In Kabul, President Ashraf Ghani said the British soldiers who died fighting in Afghanistan had helped bring "freedom" to the country.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP