The last of the UK’s Royal Navy troops left Iraq on 22 May. It draws a significant end to Britain’s military mission in Iraq, which started with the US-led invasion in 2003 when about 46,000 British troops were stationed in the country.

The UK pulled back most of its troops in 2009, but the Royal Navy, the second-largest force of the coalition continued to provide training to Iraqi forces to help defend its waters.

To date, the British Royal Navy has trained 1,800 Iraqi personnel.

Security is an ongoing issue in Iraq. Earlier in the day, a suicide attack in Baghdad killed at least 16 people.