France's Hollande in surprise visit to Afghanistan
PARIS - French President Francois Hollande arrived in Afghanistan on Friday for a surprise trip to visit France@@@s troops there and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Hollande@@@s office said.Hollande, who plans to accelerate the withdrawal of French soldiers from Afghanistan to the end of this year, was accompanied by Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.Hollande - making the latest in a whirl of foreign trips since his May 15 inauguration that have taken him to Berlin, Washington, Chicago and Brussels - will pledge to keep to a long-term cooperation treaty signed with Afghanistan, where France has around 3,400 troops posted, his office said.ByREUTERS06/08/2025 07:57 AMByREUTERS06/08/2025 05:36 AMByMAARIV06/07/2025 02:33 PMByWALLA!06/07/2025 11:18 AMByREUTERS06/07/2025 03:25 AM
