Afghan drawdown continues for British forces

British forces deployed in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan are headed home as part of a phased drawdown, the British Ministry of Defense said. The ministry said Monday soldiers from a logistic support regiment are headed home after completing more than 239,000 miles of support travels in Helmand province. They left for Afghanistan in March. "Their role was twofold: to supply troops on the front line with essential supplies such as food, vehicle parts and ammunition, and to collect equipment as bases were handed over to the Afghans or closed down across Helmand this summer," a defense statement said Monday. In late September, the Afghan National Civil Order Police took responsibility over security of a key highway from northern Helmand to Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital, from their British counterparts. The handovers are part of a strategy to diminish the British troop presence in the province. International forces in Afghanistan are shifting their obligations from combat to training as Afghan forces assume more security responsibilities in the country. A mid-September report from the British Foreign Ministry said Afghan force capabilities "are not yet fully developed or completely sustainable."