( CNN ) -- France pulled its last troops engaged directly in combat out of Afghanistan Saturday , in line with a promise by President Francois Hollande to accelerate his country 's withdrawal from the long-running conflict . About 1,500 French troops remain in Afghanistan to remove equipment and to help train Afghan forces , Defense Ministry spokesman Thierry Burkhard said . They are likely to stay there for about six months , he said . The troops who left Saturday will spend a couple of days in Cyprus to decompress and rest before rejoining their families in France for the holidays , according to CNN affiliate BFM-TV . Top general expects IED problem to rise in Afghanistan . Some 2,500 French troops in total have been withdrawn from Afghanistan over the past year , the channel reported . French personnel will continue to run Kabul 's international airport and serve at the city 's military hospital into 2014 , BFM-TV said . France was one of the bigger contributors of troops to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force . The United States , whose troops make up the bulk of the force , still has some 68,000 personnel in Afghanistan . Coalition forces are working to get Afghan security forces ready to take charge of security after all NATO-led troops withdraw from Afghanistan at the end of 2014 . What does future hold for Afghanistan ?
France pulls out its last units engaged directly in combat in Afghanistan . - The French government announces that it will not renew the lease of a military base at Bagram Air Base, which is being used by U.S. forces to train Afghan soldiers and police officers. French medical personnel will also continue to serve at a military hospital in Kabul . The United States still has 68,000 troops in Afghanistan .