page_title: Kapisa Province
section_title: French-US involvement
hierarchical_section_title: Kapisa Province / French-US involvement
caption_attribution_description: English: SAROBI, Afghanistan - French army soldiers prepare their vehicles for a convoy prior to departing camp for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission, Operation Eagle, Oct. 18, 2008. The operation was conducted Oct. 17-18 and included American and French military forces, along with the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan National Police (ANP) troops. The purpose of the operation was to strengthen the ANA's and ANP's influence in the area and to help foster their war fighting capabilities independently against insurgents. (ISAF photo by MC1 Michael E. Wagoner)(released)
context_page_description: Kapisa is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. Located in the north-east of the country. The population of Kapisa is estimated to be 364,900, although there has never been an official estimate. The province covers an area of 1,842 km² making it the smallest province in the country, however it is the most densely populated province apart from Kabul Province. It borders Panjshir Province to the north, Laghman Province to the east, Kabul Province to the south and Parwan Province to the west. Mahmud-i-Raqi is the provincial capital, while the most populous city and district of Kapisa is Nijrab.
context_section_description: France's experience in Afghanistan has mirrored every other country's misadventures in this Central Asian state; some small successes followed by some pretty devastating defeats. Initially, the French involvement in Afghanistan was limited to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Kabul; as that mission expanded to encompass the entire country, France slowly amped up its involvement. By 2008, France had sole responsibility for Kapisa, and a district of Kabul Province that borders it. The French mission in Afghanistan has been fraught with struggle. The French military has fought very hard in Afghanistan and lost a lot of soldiers in the process: 87 since 2008 (many argue that there were more fatalities), behind only the U.S., Canada, and the UK. Yet, the newly elected French President François Hollande announced that French troops would withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of 2012– sparking speculation about whether this indicated the NATO coalition there is starting to crumble.
  Prior to 2012, French forces were complemented by U.S. forces through Provincial Reconstruction Teams and Human Terrain Teams. The province was served by the Kapisa PRT, located at Forward Operating Base Morales-Frazier in Nijrab District. The PRT conducted counterinsurgency and stability operations in the province for more than six years, working with leaders of Kapisa at the provincial and district level, to bolster the capacity and credibility of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The PRT participated in key leader engagements, scouting areas for new projects and performing quality checks and site visits on existing projects. The key focus is on building roads, bridges, construction of schools and also improvements to power capabilities on existing infrastructure.  Composed of U.S. Air Force, Army, State Department, and USAID subject matter experts and mentors, the team sought to work closely with key leaders to facilitate development. The vision was to foster a stable and secure environment ready for transition to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan control and administration, and focus on sustainment.
caption: French army soldiers prepare their vehicles for a convoy prior to departing camp for Operation Eagle, October 2008
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