French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly and her American counterpart Lloyd Austin signed a new roadmap in Washington on Friday for cooperation between their special forces, the two countries seeking to strengthen international efforts in the anti-jihadist struggle.
The signing of this convention and Ms. Parly's visit come at a time when the United States is withdrawing from Afghanistan and France is reducing its military presence in the Sahel.
The text does not relate to a specific region, said Pentagon spokesman Anton Semelroth, the two countries being engaged in the anti-jihadist struggle in very different theaters.
US President Joe Biden on Thursday announced that the longest of US wars would end soon, with the final withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan by August 31.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that France would start closing bases in northern Mali in the second half of 2021, as part of the announced reduction of its military presence in the Sahel.
But Washington and Paris do not want to abandon their efforts in the area of counterterrorism.
During an exchange with the Atlantic Council think tank after her visit to the Pentagon, Ms. Parly cited Operation Takuba, a European special forces unit supposed to train the Malian army in combat against the jihadists, as a "
remarkable and concrete example.
Of cooperation.
“
The support of the United States to our operations in the Sahel is crucial,
” she added. Citing other joint missions carried out in recent years, she said: “
Our operational cooperation is yielding concrete results.
And she will continue to do so
”.
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