Two hundred French troops said goodbye to the war in Afghanistan on Wednesday as part of France’s accelerated pullout from the country. In January, French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced a faster-track exit for France, breaking from previous plans to go along with to the US-led coalition’s plan to withdraw combat forces by the end of 2014. Sarkozy said France would speed up its withdrawal timetable, pulling out 1,000—400 more than its previous target—of its current 3,600 soldiers by year-end and withdraw all combat forces by the end of 2013.—AP