French troops ended on Tuesday their last combat mission in Afghanistan by withdrawing from Kapisa province as part of an accelerated departure from the war-torn country.
The last 400 soldiers deployed to the volatile province started to leave Nijrab, the French base in Kapisa after a departure ceremony.
About 700 soldiers would return to France by the end of the year.
Around 50 trainers will remain based in Wardak province, west of Kabul, and 1,500 would stay in the Afghan capital, where most will be tasked with organizing the final departure of French troops by the summer of 2013.
After that date, only several hundred French soldiers involved in cooperation or training missions will remain in the country, the military official said.
In this context, the Taliban movement called on NATO to follow the lead of France and withdraw from Afghanistan.