Families who lost loved ones in Afghanistan now asking themselves was it all for nothing?
Video report by ITV Correspondent Elaine Willcox
The mother of a soldier who died of wounds sustained in Afghanistan says she's been asking herself 'why?' as she watched images of the Taliban taking control of the country.
Jones's son Private Thomas Sephton, 20, was seriously wounded when a roadside bomb exploded in the Upper Gereshk Valley, Helmand, on 4 July 2010.
Pte Sephton received treatment on site and later at Camp Bastion before being flown to the UK for further treatment at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham where he died of his injuries.
Just weeks later one of his classmates Marine Steven Birdsall from Warrington was shot.
The young men had gone thousands of miles from home to help the Afghan people.
Thomas enlisted into the Army in July 2008 and joined the 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire) in January 2009 following the Combat Infantryman’s Course in Catterick.
He joined Mortar Platoon and served in the United Kingdom, the Falkland Islands and Kenya, before operations in Afghanistan.
At the time of his death his Commanding Officer said Thomas "never complained" and described a soldier "who just got on with the job, however difficult or unpleasant it was."
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said "We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the 150,000 people who served in Afghanistan, in particular the 457 who sadly lost their lives, and those who have sustained life-changing injuries.
"For twenty years they denied terrorists a safe haven to launch attacks against the UK. They helped establish and grow the Afghan security forces to defend their own country from extremists. And they enabled development that has improved millions of lives and transformed Afghan society."
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Thomas had saved the life of Liverpool soldier Charlie Emina
Charlie said he feels betrayed by the politicians who have let the Taliban return emboldened.
Carolyn Hughes, the mother of a Royal Marine from Stockport who was killed, has said her son "did not die in vain" as he helped make Afghanistan a better place before the return of the Taliban.
Corporal Danny Winter, 28, was killed along with Captain Tom Sawyer, 26, of the Royal Artillery, in Gereshk, central Helmand, on January 14 2009.
Cpl Winter's mother, Carolyn Hughes, wrote on his Facebook memorial page: "
Mrs Hughes, from Marple, near Stockport, Greater Manchester, continued: "I am extremely proud that my son played a small part in achieving this.
"His loss devastated me, the grief I have will stay with me until I take my last breath.
"There is no way to describe the utter pain of child loss.
"My son like all our men and women who lost their life in Afghanistan died heroes.
"The country mourned as our flagged coffins were flown home to devastated families and our men and women's names will be remembered forever.
"My son did not die in vain and my pride for him is etched on my heart forever."
Her son, from Manchester, and Capt Sawyer were killed in a "friendly fire" incident while helping Danish forces and the Afghan National Army clear a compound of terrorists in a Taliban stronghold.
Cpl Winter, a mortar fire controller with Zulu Company of 45 Commando, had joined the armed forces straight after leaving school at 16.
A man of "true grit", he was known for his sense of humour and support in looking after younger marines in Afghanistan.
Mrs Hughes ended her Facebook post saying the "lasting legacy of war" is the servicemen and women who, she said, did die in vain by taking their own lives, after coming home "with no help to adjust and come to terms with the horrors of their tours of Afghanistan".
There is an increasing unease about the impact the events are having on anyone who has served in the armed forces in Afghanistan.
For those who returned with post traumatic stress there are fear this will bring the worst of the memories back.
Phil Hall from the charity Help for Heroes spoke to Lucy Meacock and Gamal Fahbulleh
A Cabinet Office spokesperson said the Government is ensuring veterans get mental health support and funding is being put into these services.
Afghanistan has been overrun by Taliban fighters and the country's government collapsed within days of the withdrawal of US forces.
A scramble is under way at Kabul Airport to evacuate nationals from Western countries and Afghans who helped them, amid fears of reprisals from the Taliban.