Kabul, April 21: A French soldier has been killed and nine others were injured in Afghanistan’s Kapisa province in the latest spate of attacks against US-led soldiers in the country.
According to a Wednesday statement by the French presidency, the bloody incident took place after an improvised explosive device (IEDs) went off during foreign soldiers’ operation in the northeastern province of Kapisa, AFP reported.
The death of the French soldier, who was a corporal with the 2nd Marine Infantry Regiment, brings to 55 the total number of French soldiers killed during operations in Afghanistan since the onset of war in 2001.
Some 4,000 French soldiers are currently stationed under NATO command in Afghanistan, fighting a protracted war that is entering its tenth year.
Roadside bombs or improvised explosive devices are by far the most lethal weapon Taliban militants have used against foreign troops, Afghan forces as well as civilians.
2010 was the deadliest year for foreign military forces deployed in war-wrecked Afghanistan, with a death toll of over 710.
Meanwhile, hundreds of civilians have lost their lives in US-led airstrikes and ground operations in various parts of Afghanistan over the past few months, with Afghans becoming more and more outraged over the seemingly endless number of deadly assaults.
Western public opinion is growing increasingly tired of the war. Deaths of civilians in NATO and US attacks have also fueled tensions between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his Western allies.
——–Agencies