France Withdrawing 1,000 Forces from Afghanistan

Following the United States' lead, France has announced that it is withdrawing a large portion of its forces in Afghanistan. This comes after word has leaked that France is trying to end the Libya conflict as well.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy made a surprise visit to Afghanistan today and announced that the country would take out 1,000 troops out of the approximately 4,000 present. This comes after the United States announced its own withdrawal plan.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said France's withdrawal would be limited to the Surobi region, east of Kabul. "We believe this region is now secure and the time has come to pass the baton to the Afghan troops," he told France Info radio.

Sarkozy's visit followed a trip by U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta at the weekend and came two days before France's "Bastille Day" national day, which marks the start of the 1789 revolution and will this year honor troops on foreign missions.

Too bad-- it's coming at a time when al Qaeda and the Taliban is hard hit.

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