DUSHANBE, May 7, 2013, Asia-Plus – CA-News reports that according to the French Defense Ministry’s website, it has started a step-wise withdrawal of the limited contingent of air force troops from Dushanbe.

The withdrawal of the operating transport group (GTO) deployed at the Dushanbe airport reportedly started on April 15 and will be competed by July 1.

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 The French military equipment will be gradually withdrawn by 1 July 2013, the Defense Ministry said.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 percent 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.