French exit from Afg

[Toramana]

France will begin its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in July and complete it by the end of the year, French President Francois Hollande has said.

The confirmation of the timetable comes hours after four French soldiers were killed and five others wounded.

The Taliban said one of their suicide bombers carried out the attack on a Nato convoy in Kapisa province.

Withdrawing French troops by the end of 2012 had been one of Mr Hollande's election pledges.

The date means that French forces will leave the country two years before the main Nato pullout.

Violence has risen across the country in recent weeks, with the Taliban targeting both the Afghan forces and the 130,000 foreign troops remaining in the country.


'National tribute'
Afghan officials said the bomber in Saturday's attack approached a French Nato convoy wearing a burka.

Several Afghan civilians were also wounded in the attack.

Mr Hollande said in a statement that a "national tribute" would be paid to the soldiers.

Until the pullout is completed, "everything must be done for our troops to meet their obligations but with... the greatest vigilance for the lives of the soldiers," he added.

France is currently the fifth largest contributor to Nato's Isaf force, with nearly 3,300 soldiers.

The deaths bring to 87 the total number of French fatalities in the country since 2001.

In January the killing of four French soldiers in Kapisa prompted then-President Nicolas Sarkozy to announce a withdrawal by the end of 2013.

Mr Hollande brought it forward by a further year, fulfilling an election pledge.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18381466

[Toramana]

French Defense Minister in Afghanistan After Troops Killed
Posted Sunday, June 10th, 2012 at 5:00 pm
France's Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian arrived in Afghanistan Sunday, one day after a Taliban attack killed four French NATO troops and wounded five others.

Details of Drian's program in Afghanistan have not been released but he is expected to address French troops and meet Afghan government officials in Kabul.

On Saturday, French troops responding to a tip that a bomb had been planted under a bridge in eastern Kapisa province were attacked by a suicide bomber disguised as a woman, who walked up to the soldiers and blew himself up.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

On Sunday, NATO said one of its service members died in an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan. It did not identify the nationality of the soldier killed.

Last month, newly elected French President Francois Hollande announced France will pull out 2,000 combat troops by the end of 2012 – well ahead of NATO's 2014 withdrawal target.

France's remaining 1,400 troops will help Afghan forces with training and logistics. The country also has 150 police in Afghanistan.

http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2012/06/10/french-defense-minister-in-afghanistan-after-troops-killed/

[Shah-i-Kot]

France to start troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in July

http://www.wlsam.com/Article.asp?id=2473061&spid=

PARIS (WLS) - Following an attack that left four French soldiers dead, France's leader announced Sunday that his government would begin withdrawing its military forces from Afghanistan beginning in July.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for last Saturday's suicide bombing in the Nijrab district of Kapisa province that also wounded four troops.
French President Francois Hollande had said upon his recent election that his country would start the gradual drawdown of 3,500 soldiers from Afghanistan so that most would be home by the end of 2012.
This plan is two years ahead of the rest of NATO and the U.S., which will pull the rest of the coalition troops out of Afghanistan in 2014.
Hollande insisted that the deadly bombing in eastern Afghanistan did not influence the pullout beginning next month, saying, "What happened does not change anything, it neither accelerates nor delays withdrawal plans."
In fact, Hollande said he was not listening to calls by the war's critics to speed up the withdrawal, claiming it was impractical to do so.
ABC Radio News Contributed To This Report