Posted on 10/15/2006 7:04:28 PM PDT by Aussie Dasher
FRANCE is to withdraw the 200 members of its special forces deployed in Afghanistan, it was reported overnight.
Both the office of President Jacques Chirac and the French defence ministry declined to confirm or deny the report which said a decision had already been taken by Mr Chirac as commander of French armed forces.
"Nothing has been decided," said a defence ministry spokesman. "We are in a process of re-examining the situation in Afghanistan."
He said the current evaluation process in Paris covered all French contributions to the 37-nation NATO-led security force and the division of labour between securing territory and the training and consolidation of the Afghan army.
However, an authoritative source said the withdrawal option was currently being studied. The president's office declined any comment.
The French contingent, primarily engaged in anti-terrorist operations, has lost six men since operations began in July 2003.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
France pulled out of NATO military command in 1966.
At trip down memory lane ...
"On 7 March 1966, General de Gaulle announced to President Johnson that France was withdrawing from the integrated military organisation. On 1 July 1966, French representatives stepped down from positions in the military organisation. NATO moved out of its headquarters in Versailles and Fontainebleau on 1 April 1967.
General de Gaulle nonetheless maintained French participation in the Atlantic Council. France remained a member of NATO and all its structures except the integrated military command. Instructions were given to prepare for co-operation between French and NATO forces in the event of war, subject to France's decision to participate. The Lemnitzer-Ailleret agreements made comprehensive provisions for possible French intervention alongside Allied forces. Lastly, France maintained its land forces already stationed in the Federal Republic of Germany"
I remember when DeGaulle pulled out of NATO. In those decades, the 60's, I was studying French in high school, and the teacher had us clipping news stories about France out of the evening paper, and most of the stories were about DeGaulle and his anti-western actions.
Did you see this new on the Dailymail, read it before to write stupid things about french soldiers.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=407830&in_page_id=1770&ico=Homepage&icl=TabModule&icc=NEWS&ct=5
"We had to fire and manoeuvre across open ground for 200 metres. The scene was like a human abattoir. We fought off the Taliban but were too late to save the French guys. All of us were shaking when we were flown back to base. One of the Afghan survivors said the French had been tied up then gutted alive by the Taliban. It was one of the most shocking things I had ever heard."
And it is not 6 soldiers who died in Afghanistan but 9 soldiers, I suppose it is not enough for you.
I haven't said anything about either 6 or 9 soldiers...
Yes, excuse me, it is Herald Sun who made a mistake about this number.
Well, I could play this for laughs ("France has raised its terrorist alert level from 'Run' to 'Hide,' and officials did not rule out...") but the French have made a considerable committment and were for a time the backbone of ISAF.
There were particular French elements that did extremely well, and a couple that... eh, were not up to NATO standard. The former elements far outnumbered the latter. I won't say what the problems were for obvious reasons. The French leaders know and will fix them if they think they're serious (I do but it ain't my army).
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
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