France Backs Afghan Withdrawal Plan

France has endorsed Barack Obama’s plan for the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, and said Thursday it will also begin phased withdrawal of its 4,000 soldiers currently serving in Afghanistan, and it will follow a timetable similar to the one that President Obama has laid out. Meanwhile, the British government, which has already announced the withdrawal of 400 troops this year, says it will consider whether or not to remove a larger number of troops as a result of Obama’s plan. Obama announced earlier this week that he plans to remove 10,000 American troops by the end of this year, and then another 20,000 by September 2012.