Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

Karzai, French DM Discuss Troop Pullout

Karzai, French DM Discuss Troop Pullout

KABUL - President Hamid Karzai on Monday directed the ministries of defense and interior to extend all possible assistance to France in the troop withdrawal process from central Kapisa province.
At a meeting with French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Karzai extended his heart-felt condolences to the families of four French troops killed in a suicide attack on Saturday.
Le Drian arrived in Kabul late on Sunday, a day after the four soldiers were killed. He also attended a ceremony for the dead, whose coffins were draped in flags, at Kabul's heavily fortified military airport.
Saturday's attack by a burqa-clad Taliban bomber was the first fatal strike against the French since Francois Hollande took office as president last month.

Five other troops were wounded in the attack in Nijrab district, where most of France's 3,500 soldiers are stationed, officials said. Three of the troops are said to be in a critical condition.

The deaths were the first French fatalities in Afghanistan since January 20, when an Afghan soldier fired on unarmed French trainers, killing five and wounding 15 others. The death toll for French troops now stands at 87.
A statement from Karzai's office said that Le Drian expressed sympathies with the Afghan families who lost their loved ones in the attack, saying that Paris shared the grief of Afghans.

Conveying President Karzai good wishes from his French counterpart, he welcomed the inclusion of Kapisa in the third phase of security transition and said his country planned to start pulling out its troops from the province next month.

The French minister reiterated his country's resolve to continue assisting Afghanistan under a strategic cooperation deal, particularly in terms of training Afghan forces. The agreement is being sent to French parliament for approval.

President Karzai asked the ministries of interior and defense to cooperate with France in withdrawing troops from Kapisa. (Pajhwok)