In 1965 , Afghan King Mohammed Zahir Shah paid an official visit to France and met with President Charles de Gaulle . In 1968 , French Prime Minister Georges Pompidou paid an official visit to Afghanistan . In 1979 , the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan during the Soviet – Afghan War . For the next 25 years , relations between both nations became nearly nonexistent due to the fact that when the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989 , the Taliban soon came to power and governed the country until 2002 when NATO forces invaded the country after the September 11 attacks in New York City
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Afghanistan–France relations