A turning point in France's Afghan policy?

(BRUSSELS2) Four soldiers killed, 16 injured (including 8 serious), the results of the action of a soldier wearing the uniform of the Afghan army inside the Gwan base (or Gwam depending on the name) in the Bagram Valley caused a stir in Paris up to the highest peak of the State.

Presenting his wishes to the diplomatic corps, the President of the Republic first wanted to pay tribute to the victims and recalled the objective of the French presence. “ The French army is at the service of the Afghans, against terrorism, against the Taliban " She helps " the Afghan government in its just fight against the forces of obscurentism, barbarism and a return to a medieval climate where women and little girls were martyred ". But he immediately took the opportunity to change the French position, explaining that he “ required » to the Minister of Defense and the Chief of Staff to go there, “ at once » to ascertain the circumstances of this death.

Suspension of French army operations

In the meantime, announced Nicolas Sarkozy: “ All training and combat assistance operations of the French army are suspended. The Minister of Defense will report to us (…) on what he has seen in Afghanistan. And if the security conditions for our soldiers like the conditions of recruitment of Afghan soldiers within the Afghan army are not clearly specified, and it’s hard, France will immediately draw all the consequences.” he asserted. And repeat : “We are the friends of the Afghan people, the allies of the Afghan people. But I cannot accept that Afghan soldiers are shooting at our soldiers. If the security conditions are not clearly established, the question of the early return of the French army to France will clearly arise. ».

Listen (excerpt from France-info):

Very mixed reaction to NATO

In Brussels, NATO Secretary General AF Rasmussen remained cautious this morning. He wanted to express his “condolences for the four French soldiers (…) killed today and (his) sympathy to those who were injured. (…) It is a very sad day for our troops in Afghanistan and for the French people. » “These tragic incidents are terrible (…), but they are isolated. “, however, he wanted to (re) affirm. " The reality is that every day, 130 ISAF troops from 000 nations fight and train with more than 50 Afghan troops. (…) We have the same objective. An Afghanistan that is responsible for its own security. This is what the Afghans want. And we are committed to helping Afghans achieve this goal. »

Recognition of a fact

This is not the first time that soldiers wearing Afghan army uniforms have fired on NATO troops. Until now, we only spoke of isolated acts, of personal drift (this is still the official language, cf. Rasmussen's reaction). The Taliban were even said to be reduced to extreme acts (see G. Longuet's comments a few weeks ago). No one dared to officially assert that the Afghan army could resemble a leaky basket, easily infiltrated by the Taliban, and even less recognize that it was not as reliable as the Allies wanted to proclaim. Because what the French president is questioning is not only the methods of recruitment by the Afghan government. Behind this attack, there is the accelerated pace given to the training of the Afghan army, and its significant size, which forced forced recruitment. It is the Americans who are normally responsible alongside the Afghans for examining and verifying (screening) the recruits' past. An examination apparently too light.

Withdrawal, a strategic or… campaign issue

We can also note that President Sarkozy did not mention the usual prudence and twist to the notions of withdrawal from Afghanistan, in “close connection and consultation with our allies” in NATO. What seems to be mentioned is more of a unilateral withdrawal from certain operations carried out within NATO. An admission certainly of a certain failure of the strategy followed in Afghanistan. But also a turning point in French policy which has always been, despite the losses, to display an unfailing presence in the international coalition present in Afghanistan.

We certainly cannot analyze these elements without perceiving the weight of electoral pressure; several candidates (starting with the socialist candidate François Hollande) have asked for a more rapid withdrawal and the polls do not support an operation which costs more and more, both for the state budget and in human terms (82 deaths French today). For candidate Sarkozy, it is therefore a question of pulling the rug out from under his adversaries. In his speech, he also took care to specify that France's commitment had been decided " about ten years ago » and that he had only done “ continue this commitment ».

This turnaround is not automatically excellent, however. If it can be justified in substance (the strategy in Afghanistan is confused), it further designates French soldiers as targets, as a weak link in the coalition. It should also spark an important debate within the coalition.

Defense ministers meet at NATO headquarters in early February. The discussion could be lively. N. Sarkozy's intervention has one merit: that of establishing the reality of French commitment in Afghanistan, a debate that had until now been avoided.

Read also:

• The French withdrawal begins following the Americans
• The awakening of the French PS on Afghanistan
• Afghanistan, the withdrawal wins, a little out of order (maj)
• Afghanistan: the urgency of studying a way out…

To read: The text of the diplomatic vows in the B2 Docs