Kabul, September 04: One French soldier from the NATO-led coalition forces has lost his life and nine others have sustained serious injuries after an improvised explosive device struck their vehicle in Afghanistan.
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
The soldiers were reportedly members of the 3rd Marine Infantry Regiment, which is based in the French port city of Vannes in Brittany. They were attacked Friday morning in Showki region between the military bases of Nijrab and Bagram in the east of the country.
“The president … strongly condemned this blind violence and expressed France’s determination to continue to work to re-establish peace and development in Afghanistan,” French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in a statement.
The deaths brought to 30 the number of French troops killed in Afghanistan since US-led forces ousted the Taliban in 2001 for refusing to turn over al-Qaeda leaders behind the September 11, 2001 attacks on American soil. France has some 2,900 troops in Afghanistan.
The year 2009 has the deadliest year for foreign soldiers in Afghanistan. More than 300 coalition soldiers lost their lives since the beginning of the year, up from the previous year’s 294.
—–Agencies