By KUNA
Paris : While acknowledging that France will increase its contingent deployed with International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) and NATO forces in Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Tuesday that he could not as yet say what number of troops would be sent as reinforcements to that country.
The United States, the main source of troops in Afghanistan, has called on its NATO allies to bolster their commitment by several thousand troops to help defeat ever-bold Taliban forces.
Several days ago, “The Times” of London said that France would send 1,000 troops in response to the US request, but this would be three hundred more than figures that have emerged here.
France currently has around 1,600 troops mainly around the Kabul capital.
There had been no official announcement either on the new French troop deployment or on potential numbers.
But Kouchner told “Europe 1” radio Tuesday that there would be a deployment although he said: “The figure will be decided by the President of the Republic”.
President Sarkozy,” he noted has indicated “very clearly that we will increase the number of our soldiers” in Afghanistan.
In addition to troops, France has also decided to increase the number of combat training units it deploys with Afghan army forces in the field.
These 50-man units, made up of monitors who actually take part in combat operations, number four now and are to be increased to five.
France also sent several weeks ago three Rafale, high-tech fighter aircraft to back up its three Mirage fighters already deployed in Kandahar.