Billion Dollar Base: Dismantling Camp Bastion tells the story of the team dismantling the British Army base in Afghanistan. For eight years it’s been the powerhouse of UK and US military operations. Now Britain’s biggest overseas base since World War II is closing down for good. This documentary was given exclusive access to the men and women whose job it was to pack up this giant jigsaw puzzle, ending one of the longest wars in British history.
A town bigger than many in Britain, with a massive infrastructure – airport, hospital, fast food restaurants – is being dismantled bolt by bolt and sent back to the UK. What is left will be handed over to the Afghans. But with defences and manpower depleting daily, in the face of a constant threat from the Taliban, it’s a dangerous race against time to close this city in the sand.
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A town bigger than many in Britain, with a massive infrastructure – airport, hospital, fast food restaurants – is being dismantled bolt by bolt and sent back to the UK. What is left will be handed over to the Afghans. But with defences and manpower depleting daily, in the face of a constant threat from the Taliban, it’s a dangerous race against time to close this city in the sand.
FreeDocumentary #Documentary #BillionDollarBase#Army#Viral#Adrenalin
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00:00Camp Bastion, a fortress built to fight the Taliban. For eight years the powerhouse of UK
00:18and US military operations in Afghanistan. Now Britain's biggest military base since World War
00:25Two is closing. A town the size of Reading with a massive infrastructure, airport, hospital,
00:39fast-food restaurants. It's got to be dismantled bolt by bolt and sent back to the UK. As I say,
00:47imagine building all that and then deciding to put it in the box and take it home again. That's a lot
00:51of work. What's left will be handed over to the Afghans. They need to go. You know what
00:59you guys get up to when it's a long lonely night in Afghanistan? And they've only got four months
01:04to do it. That's really annoying. Someone's just dumped that. But with 300 troops leaving
01:13every week, all the military hardware being shipped out, Bastion's defences will be stripped down to
01:20the last man. So it's a deadly race to get everyone out on time.
01:29Good morning Afghanistan. We're going to open BFBS radio station at Kambasium in Afghanistan with just
01:52about the most positive tune you could have made.
02:22one man is charged with the immense task of bringing this town home.
02:51Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence Quinn, a former bomb disposal expert. 32 years in the army with tours
03:00of duty in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan. The Colonel came here in 2006 to build Bastion.
03:08Now he's back to take it apart. I've moved house 15, 16 times in the army, you know, and so my wife and I
03:18got a really slick drill, you know, count the kids, you know, got the ball, right, get in the car, you know,
03:23and pack it all up. It's pretty, it's pretty slick.
03:27In 2006, in the middle of a desert, the British built Camp Bastion. What started as a few tents and 57 men soon grew into a city with three districts. The British in Camp Bastion, the Americans in Camp Leatherneck and the Afghans in Camp Shorabak.
03:52It has an airport the size of Gatwick with a 130 million pound runway and over 600 flights every day.
03:59Bastian is, it's kind of the jewel in the crown. Closing Bastion is a key piece and I get to do it. And that just doesn't happen very often for infrastructure officer. And to have your own town that you can play with is just great. Pity I'm taking it down.
04:11A secret date has been set for the handover to the Afghan forces. Bastion Day. Codename B-Day. Colonel Quinn has four months, 120 days to close the base.
04:26We've been bigging this up all day. We've got to get a song on for him. Sergeant Alex Wilco is going to be 30 today. He's going to be 30 today.
04:33He's working away at the Biowash. Sergeant Wilkie, this is for you.
04:48Forty percent of the equipment in Camp Bastion is being flown back to the UK. All vehicles go through the Biowash. A process that can take up to four days per vehicle.
04:55We've been bigging this up all day. We've got to get a song on for him. Sergeant Alex Wilco is going to be 30 today.
05:01We've got to get a song on for him. Over to see him.
05:06He's got to get a little baby but he's got to get it back to the body.
05:10And he's got to get to get him. He's got to get him on for his own sake.
05:14And i think that's his name, he's got to get to the station and I just need to get him on for the first time.
05:17We're going to be a second time. He's got to get him on for his days.
05:19Every time he's got to remove the stuff and he's got to get him on for the last time.
05:23He's got to get him on for us. So we've got to do this together.
05:26I've got to keep him on for him.
05:28He's got to keep him on for his clothes.
05:29What's left is either auctioned or sold as scrap to the locals.
05:40But before it leaves the wire, it goes to a special place to be demilitarized.
05:51Sergeant Uri Hill, a former professional cricket player from Jamaica.
05:56Just clear this area for us so you can get in.
05:59Ten years in the army, four tours of duty, two in Iraq and two in Afghanistan.
06:06He is the gatekeeper at warlike scrap.
06:14Most of this has come off the ground from the guys who are out on the ground here.
06:20So it just come here and we demilitarize it.
06:23That's my job, to just smash them up.
06:25So all this gets cut off.
06:32Private contractors are hired to help demilitarize equipment and sell it outside the wire.
06:38They employ local Afghans to do the hard graft.
06:45The Taliban have a history of infiltrating coalition bases.
06:51So Uri has to be vigilant.
06:55For my peace of mind, I always have someone watching over them, ensuring that they're cutting
07:00every bits and pieces.
07:02Anything that could be used against us are coalition forces in the future.
07:06So nothing escapes this compound.
07:17You're getting rid of the tubes once they're crushed?
07:19Yeah.
07:20And then these?
07:21These, I'm just going to smash them up some more, take the trigger mechanism off.
07:24Yeah, yeah.
07:25And the sights.
07:26Yeah.
07:27So they don't look like a weapon.
07:28And then just goes to general waste.
07:29And it just goes to general waste.
07:30How much work is that?
07:31That is a lot of work.
07:32The popcorn machine destroys out-of-date ammunition by cooking the bullets till they explode.
07:59That's the actual round going off, exploding, and being contained, and then come out as crap,
08:07sell it as brass.
08:18Ammunition too big for the popcorn machine...
08:20Get quiet!
08:22...is dealt with...
08:24Stop, boy!
08:24...in a different way.
08:26Burning!
08:29All military hardware is being repatriated to the UK.
08:54All military hardware is being repatriated to the UK.
08:56They're getting rid of weaponry in a war is a dangerous game.
09:14In 2012, 14 Taliban managed to breach the fence and get onto the runway.
09:23The attackers were carrying automatic rifles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, suicide vests, and were wearing U.S. Army uniforms.
09:32The firefight lasted three hours. When it was over, two U.S. Marines were dead, along with all but one of the insurgents.
09:44The perimeter fence is critical to Bastion.
10:09Rifleman Fox is 30 years old.
10:12This is his first posting.
10:19The biggest threat we have at the moment is vehicle-borne suicide ID.
10:23That's the biggest threat, so...
10:26Is that often? Does that happen much?
10:29Recently, yeah. I think there's been one or two cases, but luckily there was no fatalities, no casualties.
10:35Obviously just the one guy who decided to blow himself up.
10:42Yeah, this is two kids on the...on the berm. They're just chucking stone and stuff.
10:50There you are.
10:51I'm sure most of the scrappers just come just to try and salvage some metal from the fences and stuff, but...
11:00I don't know.
11:01It could be that they're getting the kids to do it, because they know that we won't sort of harm the kids or anything.
11:08Just to kind of test our reactions and things like that.
11:11So the insurgents are sending kids?
11:13It's possible. It wouldn't be the first time. No, it wouldn't be the first time.
11:16Like, in the last couple of days we've had quite a lot.
11:18If they're behind it, we don't know.
11:20But there's been a lot of incidents where kids have just came over the berm and just started pulling pickets out the ground.
11:27And all we can do is shout at them and fire flares.
11:29For the men on the watchtowers, things are only going to get more dangerous.
11:42With 50 troops being repatriated daily, Bastion's military might is depleting.
11:51But these men on the perimeter fence are here to the last.
11:55What a fire!
12:12With just over three months to go, the clock is ticking.
12:20Come on, look at this. This is a tier two war. Look at this war.
12:22Colonel Lawrence Quinn, the man responsible for packing up Bastion and handing it over to the Afghans.
12:29Right. We haven't just horsed this in. Look at that line there. Look at that concrete line there.
12:34The concrete walls aren't like this, like bad dental work. You know, it's been done properly.
12:39It's a really huge concrete wall and it's important that you get the foundations right and you don't have gaps that fragments can fly through.
12:44So this place has been built really well. You know, we've cared about it. So I'm really proud of this space.
12:50I've been here long enough now. I think I'm going to be handed over with the rest of the infrastructure.
12:53They'll sign for me, I think, along with the generators and toilet processor.
12:57Alright, we're going to leave the barriers in here, leave the barriers in between the aircraft and those little shelters at the front.
13:06Those are actually recyclable, so we need to send those back to the UK.
13:08And obviously you can see from this side there's a lot of murals here and there's a lot of talented people.
13:17If you look at that one down there, that's a phenomenal bit of art.
13:22All the squadrons that come through have painted their own thing on a piece of wall.
13:27Some are really amazing, but unfortunately our policy is to paint out any form of graffiti or artwork.
13:33Just to make sure there's no offence caused by anything that might be on the walls.
13:37And, you know, our culture may not be the same as those of the Afghans.
13:40And things that we might find reasonable, they might not do.
13:43And that's a great shame.
13:49We built one of these in Lego, you know.
13:59Military kit that isn't being repatriated.
14:04Ends up at war like scrap.
14:13They're making sure it can't be drive again.
14:16Look at this.
14:18Black.
14:20Why are you doing that?
14:22Because we can't seem to be gifting stuff to the locals.
14:26That's why we cut it up, smash it up as much as we can.
14:31That's the rules.
14:34Do you know why that is?
14:36I don't know.
14:38It's from higher, so...
14:41They make the decisions that I just read orders and follow it basically.
14:46Let's go.
14:52Yui's orders also state that wire must be cut into 30cm lengths to prevent it being used by insurgents to make bombs.
15:00Yeah, you're going to have to cut these men before I can receive them.
15:04Cut them?
15:05Yeah.
15:06How?
15:07Just cut them straight down the middle.
15:09Don't ask me how you're going to do it, because it's the same story we've got here.
15:14Right.
15:15I only have three guys.
15:17So...
15:18Can I send some guys down to cut here?
15:19What I don't want to do is take them off you.
15:21And then me just run off and knock them back?
15:23Yeah.
15:24And then I'll left it in trouble.
15:25That's what I can't do.
15:26You know what I mean?
15:27So the units have to cut them.
15:31From now on, because I'm not taking any more wires or cables.
15:35So what do I do? Do I need this here or...?
15:36No.
15:37No.
15:38I'm looking for push bikes.
15:39Push bikes?
15:40I haven't got any.
15:42Do you think this is a car boat sailor or what?
15:45Huh?
15:57With half of the 10,000-strong army already repatriated and troops leaving daily, life is changing for the Brits at Bastion.
16:08There's no more chicken, mate. It's finished. No more chicken.
16:12At its hike, Bastion served over 34,000 meals a day in three massive canteens.
16:18Yes, sir.
16:19Have you all cleared this side?
16:22Because of the risk of insurgents poisoning the food, all supplies are flown in from abroad.
16:29And every week, Bastion's appetite is voracious.
16:51They're now down to one canteen.
16:59And some of the luxuries are running out.
17:11With the drive to get everything out by the deadline, Camp Bastion is tightening its belt.
17:22We keep talking about austerity. Austerity's out now. The word has gone. It's now expeditionary.
17:28What does that mean then? It's a reduction in the comfort that we're used to.
17:32Please don't whinge.
17:34At the end of the day, we still have air con. We've got Wi-Fi. We've got comfortable accommodation. We've got hot food.
17:39I mean, we're almost in luxury.
17:41Commander wants me to mention this, and it pains me to say this because I even cringe when I think about it.
17:46We must ensure our soldiers are changing their socks and pants.
17:50You laugh, I cringe, and I have to mention it.
17:55The commander is getting to that level of detail.
17:58So make sure as section commanders and indeed troop seniors that we are ensuring that we change our socks and pants.
18:04I'll leave it at that, if you can own that one.
18:06Now, I haven't really done the weather today because it feels a little bit irrelevant, but I have to remind you, if you are in Afghanistan, Camp Bastion today highs are 40 degrees.
18:21Heat stress index is 24.5 degrees.
18:22Now, I haven't really done the weather today because it feels a little bit irrelevant, but I have to remind you, if you are in Afghanistan, Camp Bastion today highs are 40 degrees.
18:35Heat stress index is 24.5.
18:37Bastion in the summer, one of the hottest places on earth.
18:41The one thing they can't afford to ration here is water.
18:50But with B-Day looming, they've had to close the water bottling plant and ship it back to the UK.
19:01So they've stockpiled 8 million bottles to see them through to the end.
19:05The military used private contractors to take tents down and clear the land parcels.
19:28A key part of the remediation process is getting the units out of their accommodation, out of the facilities they're in.
19:41And we do that through a process called the Board of Officers, or a BOO.
19:45And obviously I get my staff to do that.
19:48And Captain Dog Barkley is a guy I get to do most of the Board of Officers, the BOOs.
19:53It's kind of like the lead shock troop of the infrastructure branch.
19:58All your wooden furniture needs to go, just get your RSM to get a grip of them.
20:01Come and get that razor wire please.
20:03As long as we keep the contractor moving and fed with all the stuff, without having to pause, we'll get out on time.
20:08Love the rockery, but can we get rid of it?
20:10It is like riding a tiger, and the tiger tries to turn around and bite you every day, so you've got to push it back onto track.
20:23Do the lights still work?
20:28All hard standing buildings are being left for the Afghans.
20:32This is a building designed by NATO to provide training against ID, so how do you search to make sure you're safe.
20:41You know, searching tunnels, ditches, culverts, that kind of a thing.
20:45Can those pigeons get out?
20:58Can those pigeons get out?
20:59Probably not. They'll probably die in here.
21:01It sets me.
21:03Can we leave the door open for you?
21:05No, I'm going to lock it so...
21:06Can they get out through the top?
21:07Can they get out somewhere?
21:08It's fine.
21:15Dogs are moving, end of this month. They've moved some of the search dogs already down to White and Green.
21:31I feel sorry for these dogs. Look at that, they don't get to take their coat off.
21:37I've got a Black Lab at home. There's nowhere near as obedient. Boris.
21:40I've got a Rottweiler.
21:44I've got a Lambretta, so I called him Scooter.
21:47Were you a mod back in the day?
21:49No, never a mod.
21:51Mods are for pretty boys.
21:53I'm more of a rude boy.
21:54I'm into the old Jamaican scar and stuff like that.
21:59The specials.
22:00Really?
22:01Yeah.
22:02Northern soul and a bit of a soul-y boy.
22:06You probably mugged me at school, didn't you?
22:07Great swathes of Bastion are being returned to desert.
22:29But there's still a logistical mountain to climb before B day.
22:34There are just two months left till Bastion gets handed over to the Afghan forces.
22:5470% of the British troops have left, along with two thirds of the heavy weaponry.
22:59The man in charge of the move is Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence Quinn.
23:06He's been an infrastructure specialist for 32 years.
23:13But first and foremost, he's a soldier.
23:16How's that?
23:17That's actually a bit off.
23:18So if you're aiming for the bottom centre of the white patch.
23:19No, I was aiming for the top there.
23:20You're aiming for the top of the white patch.
23:21In which case that's bang on.
23:22Good stuff.
23:23I suppose I try for perfection.
23:24You know, I recognise that I never quite achieve.
23:29It's like being a piper.
23:30You know, I wanted to be a really good piper, but I realise I've got no sense of timing.
23:35No sense of rhythm.
23:36And I've got no ear for music.
23:42There's something vile in my chanter.
23:43So I'll just be the best I could be at it.
23:44You know, which is probably a core member of the band.
23:45Because I really enjoy it.
23:46Because I really enjoy it.
23:47So I'll just be the best I could be at it.
23:48You know, which is probably a core member of the band.
23:49Because I really enjoy it.
23:50.
23:51No sense of rhythm.
23:52No sense of rhythm.
23:53.
23:54And I've got no ear for music.
23:57.
24:00There's something vile in my chanter.
24:03So I'll just be the best I could be at it, you know, which is probably a core member of the band.
24:09Because I really enjoy it.
24:10.
24:11.
24:15While the British are packing up to leave, the Afghans over in Camp Shorabak are still
24:34at war.
24:40These recruits are being mentored by British and American soldiers.
24:43This training mission, started by NATO in 2009, means that Afghanistan now boasts a security
24:54force of 350,000.
25:00The Afghans in Shorabak have limited resources.
25:04And with their allies leaving soon, they are desperate to hold onto as much military and
25:10logistical hardware as possible.
25:20A delegation of Afghans is on its way to visit Camp Bastion, the base they are soon to
25:27inherit.
25:33Colonel Koshyid is Quinn's counterpart, head of infrastructure in Shorabak.
25:40This whole Equipment Support Facility has its own set of generators.
25:44We have a new unit, and we have a new unit, and we have a new unit.
25:51Facilitate power to all these buildings?
25:53Yes, to all these Equipment Support Buildings.
25:56We did have a plan to extend this high voltage system to run all of Bastion, but we decided
26:01not to in the end.
26:02So we'll do that next time we come back.
26:05We're going to keep it for you.
26:07So is that going to be left behind?
26:09Yes.
26:10Some gym equipment will be left behind.
26:33It's a lot of chocolate sponge pudding.
26:34It's a lot of chocolate sponge pudding.
26:40There's a lot of chocolate sponge pudding.
26:47It's a lot of chocolate sponge pudding.
26:57It's a lot of chocolate sponge pudding.
27:03I was just saying sir that we've spent more on this on the space Camp Astian looks very nice
27:22good infrastructure so from every point of view it's very good thank you
27:27they just want to take everything that's great you know and they really like it
27:36you know they like what we've done with the place it's fantastic that's why
27:48warlike is closing in six days
28:01the individual units are responsible for getting rid of their own scrap
28:08so the pressure is on
28:09yeah i think it's dead now what does that say
28:19now you're gonna let locals this was that no so you gotta take them back excuse me dude
28:24it says 5k in here not 20. what's this a what the hell you do with this
28:32look at this ice now it's that heavy it just buckled in the middle
28:39what happened when you don't follow them around that's what happened just tuck it on the floor
28:52you had a busy day you very very i think the closer we get to the end the busier it is
29:00yeah today been really today i mean it's non-stop the guys go for lunch come straight back and
29:05straight into it with less than a week to warlike closes there's a scramble to get rid of kit
29:19even out on the perimeter
29:25just check things make sure they're getting rid of all their their junk for the warlike scrap shuts
29:35captain dog barkley has 36 watchtowers to get ready for the afghan handover
29:43hello guys you all right just gonna have a quick look around we're not going on to the top deck
29:47hello buddy you all right yeah it's not too bad not too bad
29:53when you're bugging out just take all the maps down yeah i want everything off the walls mate
29:57that's good stuff like this you need to get rid of there's a lot of just laying around
30:03things like that need to go mate any made furniture if it's not dust we need to get rid of
30:09the problem you've got is warlike scrap shuts yeah and once warlike scrap shuts it's going to be at
30:14three days time it's going to be an absolute nightmare to get rid of it
30:22obviously comes with a jacuzzi this one right cheers guys let's go to the next one there's only only 22 left
30:32so
30:43don't want to see fhm on the walls mate basically i want it as when you're going to walk out
30:49know what you guys get up to when it's a long lonely night in afghanistan all right so let's get
30:54Let's get a mate. We can.
30:56We just don't want to incite anything really.
30:58They come here and they'll see that and they'll just,
31:02I don't know, get the wrong impression of us.
31:04And we've got to abide by their culture really.
31:07So it's just taking them all day.
31:09It's playing the game.
31:11Nice and clean. Good to see.
31:13Do the lads like being out in town?
31:15I think they do because you don't get the bullshit out of here.
31:19You can do what you want.
31:21There's no one picking you up for your dress and stuff like that.
31:23Although you should be dressed appropriately,
31:25but they can relax a little bit.
31:26But obviously they've got an important job to do.
31:28And they're looking out for their threat all the time.
31:32And they will remain right until the last minute when we get out.
31:39With the threat of a Taliban attack before B-Day,
31:43the British are flying dummy missions
31:46to give the impression of a fully operational base.
31:50But in reality, Bastion's armour is getting thinner by the day.
32:06There's just over a month till B-Day,
32:08when Camp Bastion is finally handed over to the Afghans.
32:12Forces are down to 1,500 troops.
32:18And much of the military hardware is gone.
32:20Now, the primary objective for the British
32:25is to make a clean exit without any loss of life.
32:28But just 70 miles away from Bastion,
32:32the Afghan security forces are head-to-head with the Taliban.
32:40And they've already lost 4,400 men just this year.
32:44Just this year.
32:46In 100 years, the military has been busted.
32:47They've already burned up with the Taliban.
32:48They've already been surrendered and burned down.
32:49The military has carried away from the police department.
32:51As far as the man is now,
32:52they've had our area to repair the Taliban.
32:53They've been able to repair the Taliban
32:54and they will try to get them.
32:55And they will continue to repair the Taliban.
32:56They need to repair the Taliban.
32:57And will make the Taliban.
33:00This has been a nightmare.
33:01The Taliban who are likely to ensure the Taliban
33:02is no longer an accident.
33:04I'm a rare chance to attend the Taliban.
33:05On route to the perimeter, Colonel Quinn is keen to show Colonel Cauchyid the VIP block.
33:18Good morning. Welcome to my home.
33:22Built by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the British have decided to leave it for the Afghans as a token of goodwill.
33:29And everything in these rooms is staying outside. They all have televisions.
33:35It's a very quiet place, it's a very quiet place.
33:38I don't want to go anywhere.
33:42This is all, it's up at night. It all comes on automatic when it gets dark.
33:46Dixie is obviously planning for his next career as an estate agent.
33:52Yeah, yeah, it's all up here.
33:54You'll find a lot more.
33:57You'll find more.
33:59Yes, you'll find more.
34:01And also, that pretty much is the major thing.
34:04Alright.
34:06Oh my God.
34:10Gamjie, I'll find more.
34:18The wholeomeness.
34:20I took a long way to go right away.
34:22You've seen the incinerators, we're leaving the incinerators behind.
34:31Yes, the commander, you can see that there is a box that is not a box.
34:37There is a box that is not a box.
34:41There is a box.
34:43What is the radar?
34:46How about the radar, sir?
34:48No, the radar is going.
34:50No, the radar is going.
34:53No, the radar is going.
34:56The radar is going.
34:59The radar is going.
35:01The radar is going.
35:14The last British troops to leave Bastion will be the ones defending the towers.
35:19This will be the most vulnerable part of the handover.
35:23It's a much bigger perimeter than the Afghans are used to defending.
35:28The guards have asked that we don't go onto the very top deck.
35:34The one on top, one at the bottom.
35:35One at the bottom.
35:36Yes.
35:37One at the bottom.
35:38One at the bottom and one at the very top.
35:41No.
35:42All right.
35:43One at the top, one at the bottom, and one at the very top.
35:57Sir, he's asking in the big lights, projectors.
36:01Yeah, so we have the generators at the minute along the perimeter.
36:05Do you have CCTV cameras all over this place?
36:12I don't think we've got CCTV cameras.
36:15Not the rule of...
36:17You haven't done it?
36:18No, so there are integral assets, basically.
36:20Yeah, absolutely no.
36:21No, no.
36:22No, no.
36:23No, no.
36:24No, no.
36:25No.
36:26No.
36:27No.
36:28No.
36:29No.
36:30No.
36:31No.
36:32No.
36:33No.
36:34No.
36:35No.
36:36No.
36:37No.
36:38No.
36:39No.
36:40No.
36:41No.
36:42No.
36:43No.
36:44No.
36:45No.
36:46No.
36:47No.
36:48No.
36:49No.
36:50No.
36:51No.
36:52No.
36:53No.
36:54No.
36:55No.
36:56No.
36:57No.
36:58No.
36:59No.
37:00No.
37:01being disposed through the wildlife.
37:05I think me and the lads did an awesome job out here.
37:32Y'all looking empty now. Good feeling.
37:35Is it?
37:36Yeah. It smashed it. It's done.
37:44Is that a tear I see?
37:46Never. Never. I would never. Oh my God, you don't know how happy I am.
37:55So, Yuri, worst case scenario,
37:58this country doesn't, you know, manage to hold back the Taliban.
38:02How would you feel?
38:04It would, of course, yeah, it would be sad
38:09because we come here and we help them so much
38:13and then to see the Taliban take over, it would be a sad sight, you know.
38:21But, hey, we tried.
38:29Happy days.
38:31Yeah, Dora.
38:41After 13 years of war, Britain's most expensive overseas military base
38:47is coming to an end.
38:49It's going to get a little bit emotional.
38:51I'm trying not to get emotional,
38:52but it is my last show from our studios here in Camp Bastion.
38:56Just keep safe, keep up the good work,
38:58and I'll catch you on BFBS soon.
38:59BFBS suit.
39:00BFBS suit.
39:01BFBS suit.
39:02BFBS suit.
39:03I don't know.
39:33The memorial wall before us has become a bastion
39:52for our collective memory of those whom we have lost during this campaign.
39:57Its rightful and timely transfer from this land to ours
40:01will ensure that the memories of a foreign field are brought home in the right way
40:07and will endure for future generations of soldiers, sailors and airmen.
40:31.
40:52how am i going to get this stuff in here normally my wife packs my bag i'm utterly useless at this
41:12so i'm just kind of ramming it all in hoping it'll go in there somewhere we're down to i think it's
41:16about 720 mercury people here in bastion and um and you walk around and you can walk around
41:23you know a long way to not see a soul so um fortunately we've got a very secure perimeter
41:29which is great but it's a radically different place it's sad to see it go because it really
41:35is the end of such a major part of a british operation there's a piece of history being
41:43written and to have a be able to write one or two words in the book of history it's just it's
41:47awesome yeah so in that way it's really great and not only that i'm uh i'm coming to the end of my
41:53career and um and they've given me a job in in headquarters army lovely job but it just won't
41:59compare with this um so really i suppose this this is yeah this is a highlight of of my career
42:05i've only waited 31 years for 32 years really for this seven years after he first set foot in camp
42:16bastion colonel quinn is leaving we're leaving here really proud of what we've done in southern helmond
42:28and i'm really proud of what we achieved here in in camp bastion so yeah it's been a heck of a challenge
42:35the brits are leaving afghanistan with more schools better roads and tighter security around some of
42:46the cities but elsewhere the taliban are stronger than ever and determined to retake helmond
42:56over the next few days the last of the equipment gets sent home
43:09camp bastion is now a shadow of its former self
43:15the only thing remaining 300 british troops ready for the final handover
43:26this is
43:42they're here with all their equipment weapons everything ready to go so we're just now in a
43:46position where we're basically just uh waiting for them to come on their guys onto the trucks and then
43:50start occupying the towers with just seven hours left before the brits are due to be out of bastion
44:00the afghan army are gearing up for the takeover
44:04and the subway packet is now moving through
44:09200 soldiers are on route to secure the perimeter
44:12the key to bastion marks the formal transfer of the estate bureau bastion back to afghan ownership
44:30as the british step down the afghans immediately take their place
44:53but without the high-tech surveillance equipment the towers are more at risk
45:00so the afghans are stationing 10 men in each one twice what the british had
45:12the taliban have threatened to attack the base on b-day so apache helicopters constantly patrol the skies
45:23and
45:35an hour later and bastion is in the hands of the afghans
45:39the form of the
46:09six apache helicopters fly overhead securing the runway as the final 30 troops leave
46:23and the very last man wing commander matt radnall has the honor of bringing the union flag home
46:30britain's biggest military campaign since world war ii is over
47:00so
47:18so
47:30You