Military campaign in Afghanistan was a 'waste of lives', says mother of airman killed on duty

Sarah McCarthy, whose son Brent was murdered by a rogue policeman while on duty in Afghanistan, said news that British troops have been withdrawn from the country had left her feeling "numb".

She said she couldn't bring herself to watch news programmes and said the departure of troops had brought "everything back" from the time of Brent's death.

Corporal McCarthy is one of the 453 servicemen and women who lost their lives during Britain's 13-year war on terror.

An inquest found the 25-year-old, from Priorslee in Telford, was unlawfully killed while on active service in Helmand Province. He and comrade 27-year-old Lance Corporal Lee Davies were shot dead by two men wearing Afghan Police Uniform in May 2012.

One of the murderers was shot dead by Afghan police but the other, thought to be Cpl McCarthy's killer, escaped and his family still await justice. The last British troops left Helmand Province yesterday.

Sarah said the British troops leaving Afghanistan is an upsetting time for her family and all the others who have lost servicemen and women in the war.

She said: "It's just a waste of lives. Is it ever going to make a difference?

I'm just numb. It's really upset me. It just brings everything back from losing Brent.

"It's awful – it's a really difficult time for us. And for the families of the 453 that lost their lives I am sure everybody is going through the same."

The withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan has reopened wounds for families who lost loved ones during the conflict – but they leave behind a more stable and fledgling democracy, according to Shropshire MPs.

The last UK combat troops left Camp Bastion yesterday in a huge airlift operation, marking the final chapter in the 13-year Afghanistan conflict.

Waves of dozens of helicopters and Hercules transport aircraft carried 300 British soldiers and 500 US Marines away from the base in Helmand province.

Philip Dunne, MP for Ludlow and Minister for Defence Equipment, Support & Technology, said: "There have been heavy sacrifices by our personnel over the past 13 years.

"But we leave the country in a far better place, after its first ever democratic transition of power from one government to another – with its own national security forces built up as planned to achieve the critical mass of 350,000 Afghan personnel to provide security to the Afghan people, and with a million young Afghans attending school every day, a third of them girls when none received education under the Taliban."

Mr Dunne, who visited Afghanistan twice in the past two years, said: "This exercise has been meticulously planned and executed, with gradual withdrawal from over one hundred forward operating bases and successful redeployment of thousands of vehicles and thousands of containers of equipment."

Allied forces handed the base over to Afghan officials in a poignant ceremony yesterday as the Union flag and Stars and Stripes were lowered for the final time.

At the peak of the Afghan conflict there were 10,000 British personnel in Helmand Province together with 20,000 US Marines, Danes, Estonians and other nationalities at 180 bases and checkpoints.

The troops have been taken to Kandahar from where they will be brought home.

Mr Dunne said: "There remain many challenges as it is still one of the poorest countries in the world with few natural resources. We will continue to support the new Afghan government with development aid and a military officer training academy."

Mark Pritchard, MP for the Wrekin, has also visited the country. He said: "I had the privilege of visiting several bases in Afghanistan in 2009 as part of my duties serving on the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme, where I was attached to the army.

"The sacrifices made there by so many UK armed forces personnel have made the country a far more peaceful, prosperous and democratic country, and UK families who have suffered so much have not suffered in vain. But there is much the Afghans need to do themselves to continue to keep that legacy strong and positive".

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has urged caution in discussing the issue for the sake of the wounded and the families of the dead.

"What I think when I hear that discussion is of the family of the soldier whose funeral I took in Liverpool Cathedral and of the need for them to be confident that the loss of that man was worth it, that he did what was right, and the care we need to use in language in discussing this as though it didn't tear shattered families further apart," he said.

Telford MP David Wright also paid tribute to British forces and their work in Afghanistan. He said: "I particularly want to remember at this time the servicemen from Telford who lost their lives in the conflict. We will never forget them and the contribution that they made.

"I think our presence in Afghanistan has shown that the country can be stabilised and can move towards a functioning democracy.

"I think that we need to retain a role in training and supporting the Afghan army and we need to sustain our connection with Afghanistan through trade and commerce."

Major-General Saeed Malouk, the Afghan officer who is has taken over control of the base, said he was confident that his men would rise to any challenge.

The Afghan commander paid tribute to the 140,000 British servicemen and women who served during the war, in particular to the 453 who paid with their life.

"I would really like to pay my condolences to the families and even to the governments, those who sent the soldiers to bring peace and prosperity to the Afghan people.

"I would love to go and see all those family members of those who sacrificed their lives for the Afghans and see them and talk to them and I pray to God those who are injured will be cured soon and be able to do all they want.

"I wish them all the best, especially all those mothers who sent their sons right here to secure this nation and to provide safety and security for the Afghan people.

"I know how hard it is for them when their sons don't go back to their houses."