Afghan and French officials say ten French soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan.
Announcing the deaths, President Nicholas Sarkozy said he would fly to Kabul on Tuesday night. It is France's highest single set of losses since clashes in Ivory Coast in 2004. NATO's International Security Assistance Force has declined to give details, saying only that a major battle has taken place east of Kabul. Afghan officials say NATO-led forces were initially ambushed by suspected Taliban militants on Monday. The ten soldiers died in a three-hour battle that also left a further 21 French troops wounded. At least 13 militants were also killed. A French presidential statement Taliban attacks US base in Afghanistan ...
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Merkel Vows to Back French EU Presidency ... says French warplanes backed by other NATO allies eventually pushed back the militants. The French casualties came as ISAF and Afghan troops thwarted an attack by Taliban attack on Camp Salerno, the biggest US military base in eastern Afghanistan. ISAF says seven assailants were killed. The Taliban were driven from power in 2001.
(Deutsche Welle)
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