France Begins Withdrawal of Troops from Afghanistan

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France has begun their withdrawal from Afghanistan by handing over one of their bases to Afghan authorities.

French forces formally pulled out of the district of Surobi, east of Kabul, on Tuesday.

The new pullout leaves French forces stationed in only the Afghan capital Kabul and Kapisa Province.

Earlier this month French forces handed over the control of Kapisa Province to local authorities and are currently training Afghan forces.

Although the withdrawal is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year, some 1,400 forces out of the more than 3,000 soldiers currently deployed there are to remain in Afghanistan beyond the date to provide Afghan forces with training.

Before becoming France’s president, Francois Hollande had vowed to withdraw French troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year.

Hollande’s pledge to withdraw troops from Afghanistan was one of his key campaign promises and is thought to have helped him defeat Nicolas Sarkozy.

The war in Afghanistan is highly unpopular with the French public.

At least 86 French soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since the start of the war in 2001.

US-led troops have been fighting in Afghanistan for more than a decade. Their initial offensive removed the Taliban from power, but insecurity continues to rise across the country despite the presence of about 130,000 foreign forces.

(press tv)

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