France considers sending more troops to Afghanistan

Sarkozy’s decision to dispatch more troops, especially to the areas where anti-occupation fighting is the fiercest, would represent a significant shift in French foreign policy. During his one-day visit to Afghanistan on December 22 of last year, Sarkozy did not commit himself to more involvement of French troops, though he emphasised France’s long-term political and military presence there. The report coincides with demands by the US government, which has intensified pressure on European allies to send more troops to the volatile southern regions of Afghanistan and has criticised its allies for failing to support the Afghan mission.

Since the US-led occupation began in 2001, US and NATO forces have been facing growing popular opposition. The growing insurgency against occupied forces has intensified especially in the south. The occupation forces have been suffering the heaviest losses of the war recently. So far, the US, Canada, Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark and Romania have deployed troops in the southern region. These countries have asked other European allies to send more troops into this region or to allow their forces in the relatively safer northern and western areas of Afghanistan to be moved south.