DUSHANBE (CA-News Asia-Plus) – According to the French Defence Ministry’s website, the withdrawal of the operating transport group (GTO) deployed at the Dushanbe airport reportedly started on April 15 and will be competed by July 1st.

Closing ceremony of Dushanbe GTO
(© Armée de l’Air)

Under the cooperation agreement signed between the two countries, a part of the group responsible for rehabilitation of the runway at Dushanbe airport will continue its mission until 2014. The French military equipment will be gradually withdrawn by 1st July 2013, the Defence Ministry said.

The French air group was deployed at the Dushanbe airport in December 2001 as part of the anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan. Since that time, GTO has reportedly accomplished some 11,000 air missions, which is nearly 60% of all air missions accomplished by France in Afghanistan. Over the past eleven and half years, the operating transport group reportedly carried almost 89,000 servicemen and shipped more than 14,500 tons of cargo.