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STORY: French soldiers handed over control of the Surobi area in Afghanistan to their Afghan counterparts with a ceremony at the area's Forward Operating Base on Tuesday.
A video released by the French army showed the official handing over taking place with French General Eric Hautecloque-Rayz, commander of Task Force Lafayette and Major General Mohammad Zaman Waziri, the Commander of the 201st Corps of the Afghan National Army in attendance.
French President Francois Hollande visited Afghanistan in May to defend his plan for accelerating France's withdrawal of its roughly 3,400 troops to the end of this year, breaking with NATO's timetable for withdrawal.
Some 2,000 French troops are due to leave this year but some will remain to provide support and training, and to look after equipment.
Most foreign combat troops will pull out by the end of 2014.
