Colchester troops have returned to the UK safely as Britain’s 20-year military presence in Afghanistan has officially come to the end.

Members of the 16 Air Assault Brigade, who are based in Colchester, were pictured boarding a plane out of Kabul airport yesterday having helped UK nationals and their allies evacuate Afghanistan.

The mission, dubbed Operation Pitting, saw more than 1,000 troops, diplomats, and officials dispatched to the country around a fortnight ago.

It is estimated they helped to get more than 15,000 people to safety.

Alongside a photo of troops returning to the UK, Colchester’s MP Will Quince tweeted: “Heroes heading home.

“Colchester is proud of you. Utrinque Paratus.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said now was “a moment to reflect on everything we have sacrificed and everything we have achieved in the last two decades”.

British boots first hit Afghan soil in November 2001, as part of a coalition tasked with finding the leaders of al Qaeda in the wake of the deadly 9/11 attacks, the 20th anniversary of which is just two weeks away.

The Taliban was accused of providing a sanctuary for Osama Bin Laden and his al Qaeda movement, and by December the regime collapsed.

But nearly 20 years later, after 457 British service personnel lost their lives, Afghanistan is again under the control of the militant group, with the nation’s future uncertain.

Mr Johnson said: “20 years ago, in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the first British soldier set foot on Afghan soil aiming to create a brighter future for the country and all its people.

“The departure of the last British soldiers from the country is a moment to reflect on everything we have sacrificed and everything we have achieved in the last two decades.

“The nature of our engagement in Afghanistan may have changed, but our goals for the country have not. We will now use all the diplomatic and humanitarian tools at our disposal to preserve the gains of the last twenty years and give the Afghan people the future they deserve.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer added: “I pay tribute to the brave men and women of our armed forces who have done so much to provide the opportunity of a new life to so many.

“Our diplomatic staff and military personnel should be proud of the heroic work they have done and we owe them a great debt of gratitude.

“It is now for the Government to urgently set out a plan for those left behind.”

While Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told troops on Twitter: “The UK should be very proud of what you have done. Every one of you have displayed the highest levels of professionalism and bravery.”

The Government said of the 15,000 people evacuated since the Taliban returned, 5,000 of those were British nationals and their families.

And more than 8,000 Afghans who helped the British effort as interpreters or in other roles, or who are otherwise vulnerable to persecution by the regime, were also able to flee to safety with their families.

Around 2,200 of those airlifted – on more than 100 RAF flights – were children, the youngest was just one day old.

The UK has evacuated more people than any other country other than the US, the Government said, as both those in Afghanistan and co-ordinating the effort from the UK worked all hours to process evacuees.