France's defense minister met with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday and gave no ground to Gates' campaign to get more combat help in Afghanistan from French and other NATO troops.
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Gates has been trying to persuade NATO allies to contribute more troops and equipment to the fight, with little success. France, Germany, Italy and Turkey have troops with the coalition forces in Afghanistan but refuse to send significant numbers of combat troops to the main combat area, in southern Afghanistan.
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France announced its decision a year ago to withdraw 200 elite Special Forces, raising questions about whether the pullout would precede a larger withdrawal. Sarkozy has pledged to maintain the current force of 1,300 troops.
By: Brant
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