Ten French soldiers of the NATO force in Afghanistan were killed Monday and Tuesday during an ambush by Taliban, some fifty kilometers east of the capital Kabul. Twenty-one soldiers were injured, their condition is "stabilized" by Department of Defense. In a statement, Nicolas Sarkozy speaks of "an ambush of extreme violence." French president announces that he will visit Afghanistan on Tuesday evening. "France has just been (...) It is hard hit is determined to continue the fight against terrorism, for democracy and freedom, "he says in a statement.
The victims, killed during a joint reconnaissance mission with the Afghan national army, belonged to the 8th Parachute Regiment of Marines (RPIMA) based in Castres (Tarn), the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment , based in Calvi (Haute-Corse), and the Chad Marching Regiment. The soldiers belonged to the French battalion to Regional Command Center (RCC-Kabul).
In its statement, the Head of State made tribute to the "courage of those men who have done their duty until the supreme sacrifice." "My thoughts go first to their families and their friends, to whom I extend, on behalf of the Nation, my condolences. I say my sympathy to the wounded and my support in this ordeal. I also share the pain of their comrades and, beyond all the French soldiers, "he added. The foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner and Defence Minister, Herve Morin, have also expressed their condolences. France is paying "a heavy price to defend freedom," said Francois Fillon.
Fighting impliquant des militaires français ont débuté lundi et se sont poursuivis tout au long de la nuit de lundi à mardi, avait précisé plus tôt une source proche de l'Élysée. Une source militaire en Afghanistan avait indiqué que des éléments français de la Force internationale d'assistance à la sécurité (Isaf) étaient engagés dans un «incident majeur» avec des insurgés talibans dans le district de Saroubi, mais n'avait pas communiqué de bilan des combats. Une information déjà évoquée par l'état-major français des armées la veille au soir.
Nicolas Sarkozy précise également que «d'importants moyens, aériens in particular, have been implemented with the support of allies to support and identify "the French military.
"This morning we ambushed Nato troops in the district Saroubi, using mines and rockets. We destroyed five vehicles and inflicted heavy casualties, "also said a spokesman for the Taliban. "NATO has responded with airstrikes in which five Taliban and 15 civilians were killed," he added. It was not possible to verify this information and assessments given by the Taliban are often exaggerated. The spokesman of the Ministry Afghan Defense said that 13 insurgents, including a Pakistani, were killed.
The deadliest since Bouake
This is the balance the deadliest for the French army since the bombing of Bouake in Cote d'Ivoire in November 2004. That day, nine French soldiers and an American civilian were killed and thirty wounded five other soldiers. This bombardment by aircraft of the Ivorian forces had led to a severe response and French riots against French expatriates.
These losses are the first since the increased presence French military in Afghanistan, currently around 3,000 men, announced by Nicolas Sarkozy at the NATO summit in Bucharest in April. Before the fighting, fourteen French soldiers were killed in accidents, operations or attacks since late 2001, according to the French General Staff. Some 176 foreign soldiers have died in Iraq since the beginning of the year, according to a statement from Agence France-Presse.
France is engaged since 2002 in the coalition that defeated the Taliban after the attacks of September 11, 2001. A coalition of on-site military NATO and American soldiers. A number
(0800 74 75 75) has been opened for families of military personnel in Afghanistan.
0 comments:
Post a Comment