Surprise visit of President Hollande to Kabul

Yesterday morning, President François Hollande set foot in Kabul for a surprise visit, including a visit to French soldiers. He has decided, he claims, to accelerate the withdrawal of his country's combat troops from Afghanistan.

 A reconfirmed disengagement

At the start of his election campaign, he announced this disengagement, a decision he confirmed to US President Barack Obama last week at the G8 summit at Camp David. He did the same at the NATO summit in Chicago, adding that his position on the issue was "non-negotiable."

According to his entourage, Mr. Hollande, who is also head of the armed forces, wanted to explain to French soldiers himself why he had decided to bring forward their withdrawal – a year before the date planned by former President Sarkozy.

 Mission completed

Currently, 3,500 French soldiers are based in Afghanistan, mostly in Kapisa (the country's last French-controlled province), in an unstable area relatively close to Kabul. This area, which constitutes a strategic access point to the city, is considered very dangerous because traffickers are fighting the Taliban there. In mid-May, Kapisa was included in the third of five phases planned for NATO's transfer of security to Afghan forces. Officials in the country have stated that this phase could last three to six months. ISAF (NATO's armed forces in Afghanistan) has estimated the duration of this transition at 12 to 18 months.

At the Chicago Summit, President Hollande emphasized: "We have done more than our duty and I recall the French losses: 83 men who lost their lives and many wounded. I also want to salute their courage and their sacrifice... We consider that our mission in terms of action and combat is over," he firmly added.