French Special Forces to be pulled from Afghanistan

[old fart]

French SF to be withdrawn from Eastern Afghanistan.  But this is not to be viewed as downscale the French MOD states!!!!!!

Source, BBC Radio 3PM  17 Dec newscast. A quick google will verify.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6187921.stm

http://www.thenews.com.pk/update_detail.asp?id=14702

 

[Kilo_302]

France will withdraw its 200 special forces troops from Afghanistan within weeks, authorities announced Sunday.

The elite soldiers have been serving under U.S. forces in the southeast, battling Taliban and al-Qaeda militants.

The rest of France's contribution in Afghanistan — about 1,100 troops — have been under NATO leadership and stationed in the relatively safe capital, Kabul. French authorities have resisted repeated calls from NATO leaders and individual countries in the coalition, including Canada, for the troops to be deployed in more volatile areas.

News of the withdrawal came amid growing militant strength despite the efforts of  NATO's 32,800-strong International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

France said the decision to pull the special forces troops, based in the southeastern city of Jalalabad, didn't indicate a weakening of its support for the mission in Afghanistan.

"There is a general reorganization of our [troops]," Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said during a visit to Afghanistan, in comments that aired on France-Info radio

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2006/12/17/afghanistan-france.html


Do you guys buy the  "reorganization of our troops" argument?

 

[tomahawk6]

The French SF may be needed in Chad or Lebanon.

 

[The Rifleman]

I doubt they will need 200 SF in the Leb - a few teams maybe - its not a full scale offensive operation

 

[The Rifleman]

Possible - but as its peace enforcing in Darfur a normal brigade set up is the norm with possibly a few SF teams attached for STA, close obs & int gathering.

I find it curious that France had 200 SF in theatre - the SAS/SBS  would only have roughly 60. Maybe its just the media calling para or commado trained troops SF by mistake. In the UK I've often heard of units being labled "Elite" wrongly - like mechanics or logistics units - or even the RAF Regiment!