France to pull troops from Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan,
Dec. 17 (UPI) -- France will pull 200 elite troops out of Afghanistan
as part of a wider reorganization of foreign troops, the French defense
minister said in Kabul Sunday.

The special forces, operating under U.S. command near the Pakistan
border, will be withdrawn at the beginning of 2007, Germany's Deutsche
Welle reports.

France has deployed a total of 2,000 troops to Afghanistan, with
the remainder serving in the NATO-led International Security Assistance
Force, which took over command of the war against the Taliban from
U.S.-led forces in October.

France's special forces have been part of a separate U.S.-led campaign against the Taliban and al-Qaida.