http://www.startribune.com/722/story/889422.html
France says its elite forces are no longer a good fit in new climate of Afghanistan Last update: December 20, 2006 -- 8:10 PM The latest: France is removing 200 of its best soldiers from Afghanistan as violence mounts. Military officials insist France remains fully committed, with 1,100 troops still based in Kabul. Why are the troops being removed? France's decision comes amid concerns in Paris that NATO's mission in Afghanistan has grown confused and that the alliance may be overreaching in its efforts to stabilize and rebuild the nation. French officials and experts say that as the fighting has dragged on and the insurgency has grown in strength, the Special Forces were no longer ideal for the mission. Such elite units tend to be more lightly armed, and specialize in gathering intelligence or rapid attacks. "The conditions no longer correspond to what the Special Forces do," said Capt. Christophe Prazuck, a spokesman for the French Joint Chiefs of Staff. Arm of U.S. mission: The French elite troops -- deployed in southeastern Afghanistan since July 2003 -- were France's contribution to a U.S. anti-terror mission code-named Operation Enduring Freedom that is separate from the NATO mission. Seven of the 10 French troops killed in Afghanistan since 2003 were Special Forces. The troops combed the border with Pakistan for Al-Qaida and Taliban fighters and looked for Osama bin Laden. Long based in Spin Buldak, a southern border town in Kandahar, the French moved their base this year to Jalalabad in the east and are now expected home in January. NATO sparked changes: The anti-terror operation has been trimmed as NATO's International Security Assistance Force has evolved. By October, the NATO force's 32,800 troops became the prime fighting force, moving into special forces' terrain in southern and eastern regions. U.S. response: U.S. commanders say the work of special forces soldiers is still critical in Afghanistan, whether it's small-group reconnaissance missions, mentoring Afghan soldiers or supporting conventional NATO and Afghan troops in combat. But State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the move was understandable. France is heavily committed in Lebanon and Africa. Associated Press +++ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
