Taliban insurgents kill 10 French soldiers

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posted on 16 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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French officials say, this is the biggest single loss of foreign troops in combat since 2001.

New Delhi:Taliban insurgents killed 10 French soldiers and wounded 21 in a major battle east of the Afghan capital, the French president's office said on Tuesday, the biggest single loss of foreign troops in combat since 2001.

The Taliban have gradually closed in on Kabul in the past year, making travel south, west or east of the capital extremely hazardous for troops, aid workers and civilians and spreading fear among the populace.

At a news conference in Kabul, Afghan Defence Ministry spokesman General Zahir Azimi, said there had been heavy fighting overnight. "During the night there was serious fighting between French ISAF forces and the terrorists," he said.

"If there is a need for more troops, then we have enough troops to deploy in the area for support. At the moment the Afghan army is controlling the fighting," Azimi added.

The Afghan Defence Ministry also said 27 insurgents have been killed or wounded in the fighting and at least two Afghan soldiers have been wounded.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is to travel to Afghanistan on Tuesday in response to the attack, his office said.

"My determination is intact. France is determined to continue the struggle against terrorism for democracy and freedom. The cause is just," Sarkozy said in the statement.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, who was attending an extraordinary NATO meeting in Belgium, said the loss of the soldiers would not change France's policy in Afghanistan.

The French soldiers were killed in a major battle that erupted when Taliban insurgents ambushed their reconnaissance patrol from three sides in the Sarobi district of Kabul province about 60 km (40 miles) east of Kabul on Monday, officials said. Significant air support was used to extract the units from an extremely violent ambush, the French presidency said.

France has 1,670 troops with NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, after Sarkozy sent extra 700 soldiers this year in response to a U.S. call for its NATO allies to send more forces to check a surge in violence.