French soldiers begin to leave Afghanistan.
France begins withdrawing its first group of 200 soldiers on Wednesday, as planned, said French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet.
France will begin withdrawing its first group of 200 troops from Afghanistan on Wednesday, as planned, French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet said in a radio interview.
"The withdrawal is proportional, in number, to the American withdrawal," Longuet told France Inter radio. He added that the French soldiers serving in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) mission in Afghanistan will transfer their responsibilities to the Afghan army.
In July, the French government announced it would withdraw a quarter of its 4 troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2012. The decision followed a similar measure announced by President Barack Obama.
Another 200 soldiers are expected to return to France before Christmas, and a further group of 600 troops is scheduled to leave Afghanistan in 2012, ahead of the complete withdrawal of NATO combat troops, planned for 2014, according to Agence France-Presse.
New offensive
The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, General John Allen, said the coalition has launched a new offensive against one of the most dangerous terrorist networks operating in the country and that next year it will intensify operations along the border with Pakistan. The goal is to protect the Afghan capital before the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country.
In an interview given Wednesday to the Associated Press, Allen said that "high-intensity" operations are being carried out against the Haqqani network, a militant group linked to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.
Allen also stated that the transfer of responsibility for security to Afghan forces is happening more quickly than initially planned. He also declared that about a third of the 10 troops who are expected to leave the country this year, according to orders from President Barack Obama, belong to combat units.