French army hands over key province to Afghan forces
The transfer is an important stage in France’s withdrawal from the war-torn country, which new President Francois Hollande has accelerated by ordering the return of troops by the end of 2012, a year earlier than previously planned.
Nato’s International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) is due to pull out the vast majority of its 130,000 forces by the end of 2014.
Kapisa, an extremely unstable province where French troops have suffered numerous deadly attacks from the Taliban, lies to the northeast of Kabul close to the border with Pakistan’s lawless and insurgent-infested tribal areas.
In 2011, 24 French soldiers were killed in Afghanistan, all in Kapisa.
A ceremony in the provincial capital Mahmood-e-Raqi in the presence of French and Afghan military and officials, marked the handover of the province, which was announced by President Hamid Karzai in May.
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For the first time in France's history, it's leaving its footprint behind, when its combat troops withdraw from Afghanistan. It makes sense for France not to linger any longer, as there has never been a close tie between the two countries. Besides, François Hollande has to stick to this election pledge, as the others prove to be more difficult to fulfill.
There they go. It will be a day of relief for the French Troops, who were dying for nothing.