in a
Foxhound, providing over watch security for the
Afghan National Army Officer Academy (ANAOA) 10-year graduation ceremony. 23 November 2017.
Air Force Times reported that On 11 October 2015, An RAF
Puma MK2 helicopter, carrying 9 crew and passengers, crashed as it was landing at NATO's Resolute Support Mission HQ in
Kabul, after colliding with a .58 inch tether line of a Persistent Threat Detection System intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance blimp on the southwest edge of the compound.
Forces.net reported that 5 were killed (
Flight lieutenant Alan Scott of
33 Squadron, and Flight lieutenant Geraint Roberts of
230 Squadron RAF and 3 US Servicemen) and 5 more were injured. The
BBC reported that on 11 October 2015, a convoy of British military vehicles in Kabul was hit by a Taliban
IED, at least 2 civilians (a woman and a child) were injured, there were no British casualties. The Taliban claimed the attack was in retaliation for airstrikes in
Kunduz that had killed civilians and doctors (marking the first time British troops had been targeted in Kabul since British combat forces withdrew from Afghanistan in 2014), officials in Kabul said it was a suicide bombing.
Forces.net reported that during the Taliban attack on the
Inter-Continental Hotel in Kabul on 20 January 2018, members of 2nd Battalion the
Yorkshire Regiment, assisted by members of the
Australian Army and the
Oklahoma National Guard, evacuated 43 international civilians from the
hotel. In July 2018, the
Independent reported that following a request for reinforcements by
President Donald Trump, the British government would deploy an additional 440 British troops to Afghanistan in a non-combat role of training and assisting Afghan forces, bringing total up to 1,100; the deployment began in August. The
BBC reported that a paratrooper from
2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment died in Kabul on 22 February 2020 due to a "non-battle injury". On 15 April 2021,
Sky News reported that British troops in Afghanistan would begin their withdrawal in the following month, alongside other NATO allies. Operation Toral ended on 8 July 2021, however a small number of personnel remained in the country for diplomatic support. Alongside NATO partners, the UK had trained 5,000 Afghan cadets, including 330 women, at the Afghan National Army Officer Academy (ANAOA). The withdrawal was carried out logistically across the armed forces, with the RAF alone making 50 flights, some of which involved the transportation of Puma helicopters. The Puma helicopters had airlifted 126,000 passengers and moved 660,000 kg of freight during their deployment. ==Roulements==