Departure of US Forces

The remaining US armed forces at the Keflavík base left Iceland at an official ceremony yesterday. US officials took down the US flag and handed it over to Mark Laughton, chief officer of the base. Laughton later stepped onto a US military plane and left Iceland.

The ceremony marked a historical moment, as the US army has been in in Iceland for fifty-five years. The Icelandic flag was later pulled up by Icelandic police officers to mark Iceland's control of the base.

Jóhann Benediktsson, chief of security at Keflavík airport says that Icelanders have to face a new reality in matters of defence and that new exciting times lay ahead.