Fighting alongside US troops since 2001, the French military deployment in Afghanistan reached 3,750 soldiers in 2009. FRANCE 24 takes a closer look at where French troops are and what they are doing across this troubled country.
Melissa Bell speaks to Ambassador James Dobbins, the Director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center. They discuss the current situation in Afghanistan, the country's future and the role of the Taliban. They also discuss the growing instability in Pakistan, and its relations with the United States.
A car bomb exploded outside police headquarters in the southern city of Kandahar on Sunday, killing seven police officers and two civilians, officials say. At least 19 people were wounded in the attack.
The number of Afghan civilian deaths rose for a fifth consecutive year to a record 3,021 fatalities in 2011, the UN said in an annual report Saturday. Most civilians die in attacks by Taliban insurgents, often from improvised explosive devices.
Pierre Benazet meets General John R. Allen, Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. They discuss the current situation in Afghanistan, as well as how NATO plans to make the transition process successful and build a strong Afghan national army. They also discuss how to avoid infiltration of the Afghan army by Taliban members.
White House officials on Thursday downplayed US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's surprise statement that US combat operations in Afghanistan could end next year, saying the withdrawal timetable was in line with a previous NATO agreement.
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s shock announcement that the US would wind down combat operations in Afghanistan next year has dominated dialogue at a two-day NATO meeting of defense ministers in Brussels.
It's less than two weeks since four French soldiers were gunned down by a rogue Afghan soldier during a jogging session. France immediately denounced it as a Taliban attack, and the French mission was suspended while security was stepped up. Witnesses have also described tensions between the Afghan soldiers and their mentors. So how do the Afghans themselves explain what happened, and how did they carry on without the French? Afghan journalist Sultan Faizy goes inside a training camp in Kabul.
NATO allies meeting in Brussels will on Thursday discuss US plans to end military operations in Afghanistan in 2013 and hand power over to Afghan forces by 2014, following US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta's announcement.
A leaked NATO report says the Taliban, backed by Pakistani intelligence services, are on course to retake control of Afghanistan in 2014 after NATO-led forces withdraw from the country. The "state of the Taliban" report was compiled from information taken from 27,000 interrogations of 4,000 captured al Qaeda and Taliban operatives at the US Bagram air base. The document drew immediate criticism from Pakistan.
