France, Karzai want faster NATO Afghanistan exit

01/28/12: The Boston Globe reports that France and Afghanistan agree NATO should speed up by a year its timetable for handing all combat operations to Afghan forces in 2013, President Nicolas Sarkozy said Friday, raising new questions about the unity of the Western military alliance. Sarkozy also announced a faster-track exit for France, the fourth-largest contributor of troops in Afghanistan -- marking a distinct break from previous plans to adhere to the US goal of withdrawing combat forces by the end of 2014.

01/26/12: The Washington Post reports that one week after four French troops were killed by a rogue Afghan soldier, prompting President Nicolas Sarkozy to suspend military operations in Afghanistan, France will sign a bilateral agreement outlining its commitment here over the next two decades. French troops will continue to train their Afghan counterparts well beyond 2014, when combat operations are due to conclude, according to the agreement described by Afghan and French officials.

01/25/12: The Voice of America reports that France has ruled out a hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan after an Afghan soldier shot and killed four French troops last week. French President Nicolas Sarkozy suspended military operations in Afghanistan and said he was considering an early pullout from the country if security conditions are not clearly established following Friday's attack in eastern Afghanistan. On Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe told parliament that France will not give in to panic and immediately withdraw all French troops from Afghanistan this year.

01/21/12: The San Francisco Chronicle reports that President Nicolas Sarkozy of France suspended military operations as part of the US-led coalition in Afghanistan on Friday and said he was considering an early pullout of his nation's forces after a man in an Afghan army uniform shot and killed four French soldiers. A Western official said Sarkozy's threat could lay bare "real cracks in the coalition" at a time when the alliance is seeking a cohesive position to assure the Afghan government of its long-term commitment and to push the Taliban insurgents to negotiate a peace deal rather than continue fighting.

Thread: Suspension of French Military Operations in Afghanistan After Killing of French Soldiers