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| France Troops |
This month French government announced it would pull 1000 troops in Afghanistan until the end of 2012. This amount is only a fraction of the total number of France troops in Afghanistan.
Reporting from China news agency, Xinhua, the announcement was made by French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, on his visit to Afghanistan, Tuesday, July 12, 2011. Reportedly there are about 4,000 French soldiers in Afghanistan, mostly based in the city of Kapisa.
"We will draw a quarter of our troops, about 1,000 soldiers, between now and the end of 2012," Nicolas Sarkozy said at a military base near Kabul.
Withdrawal is in accordance with the commitment of France and the United States last month that would withdraw troops early. French troops have joined in the NATO coalition forces and the U.S. since 2001.
Their mission is to protect Afghanistan from the influence of Taliban militants. Currently, the U.S. was working with the Afghan government to train soldiers and police the country. Although thousands of foreign troops are present in the country, but the explosions and attacks still occur.
Reportedly, it has more than 64 French soldiers who were killed in the country. One of the last victim was killed yesterday by a stray bullet at the base in Kapisa.
