French paratroopers ambushed near Kabul; 10 killed, 21 wounded

[Strengthandhonour]

French paratroopers ambushed near Kabul; 10 killed, 21 wounded

6 minutes ago
SUROBI, Afghanistan — Insurgents ambushed a group of French paratroopers as they climbed a mountain pass, killing 10 and wounding 21 in the biggest single combat loss by international forces in Afghanistan in more than three years.
In a separate co-ordinated attack, a team of suicide bombers tried unsuccessfully to storm a U.S. base near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
Military official said the soldiers were on a reconnaissance mission Monday afternoon in the Surobi district, about 50 kilometreseast of the Afghan capital, when they were ambushed by about 100 insurgents.
NATO sent in backup and said a "large number" of the attackers were killed in the three-hour gunbattle, officials said Tuesday.
One western official described the insurgent attack as "complex."
France's top military official, Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin, said most of the French casualties came in the minutes after the team began climbing a mountain pass. The fighting lasted into nightfall, he said.
Georgelin denied a claim by an Afghan security official that four French soldiers were killed after being captured by the insurgents.
The death toll could heighten domestic opposition in France to President Nicloas Sarkozy's plan to increase the French contingent in Afghanistan by some 700 troops by the end of this month to a total of 2,600.
"In its fight against terrorism, France has just been struck severely," French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in a statement Tuesday.
However, the French leader said his "determination remains intact" and that he plans to travel to Afghanistan to reassure his troops and that "France is at their side."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, speaking in Hamilton on Tuesday, expressed his condolences to the French over their loss, saying "we in Canada have understood over the past several years how difficult this mission is."
"We, of course, are very proud to have the French making an enhanced contribution in Afghanistan," Harper added.
"We believe it's essential for all NATO countries to stay the course so that we accomplish our objectives of creating a stable environment in Afghanistan that is not a threat either to its people or people elsewhere in the world."
Canada has some 2,500 troops in Afghanistan, most in volatile Kandahar province in the south, where one soldier was wounded Tuesday in a suicide bombing that also killed an Afghan interpreter and wounded a 12-year-old boy. Overall, 90 Canadian soldiers have died since Ottawa began its Afghan mission in 2002.
One western official described the ambush against the French as a "complex" attack.
It was the deadliest attack against international troops in Afghanistan since June 2005, when 16 American troops were killed in Kunar province when their helicopter was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade.
In July of this year, nine U.S. troops died when insurgents attacked a base on the Kunar-Nuristan border in eastern Afghanistan.
In Tuesday's attack on the U.S. base just a few kilometres from the border with Pakistan, insurgents tried but failed to gain entry to Camp Salerno in the city of Khost. Arsallah Jamal, the governor of Khost, said the insurgents launched waves of attacks just before midnight Monday night.
A suicide bombing outside the same base on Monday killed 10 civilians and wounded 13 others.
NATO said its forces identified the attackers about 1,000 metres outside of the base perimeter and launched helicopter gunships. Ground forces, fighter aircraft and helicopters then chased the retreating rebels.
Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, the Afghan Defence Ministry spokesman, said Afghan soldiers, aided by U.S. troops, chased and surrounded a group of insurgents, and that six militants blew themselves up when cornered. Seven other militants died in those explosions and a rolling gun battle, he said.
"(The Afghan National Army) is saying that any time we get close to them, they detonate themselves," Jamal said.
NATO offered a slightly different account, saying three suicide bombers detonated their vests and three more were shot dead. NATO said seven attackers in total were killed.
Overall, at least 13 insurgents and two Afghan civilians died in the attack on Camp Salerno, officials said.
The Taliban appeared to confirm the account. Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said 15 insurgents had been dispatched for the attack on Salerno. Seven blew themselves up and eight returned to a Taliban safehouse, he said.
Jamal said the bodies of at least two dead rebels were outside the checkpoint leading to the base's airport, both wearing vests packed with explosives, Jamal said.
Militants have long targeted U.S. bases with suicide bombers, but co-ordinated attacks on such a major base are rare.
On Monday, the top U.S. general in the region, Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, issued a rare public warning that militants planned to attack civilian, military and government targets during the celebration of Independence Day on Monday.
More than 3,400 people - mostly militants - have been killed in insurgency-related violence this year, according to an Associated Press count based on figures from western and Afghan officials.
- With files from The Canadian Press




source: The Canadian Press: French paratroopers ambushed near Kabul; 10 killed, 21 wounded

[Marcus Marulus]

A debate in the French Parliament on the event:

Le Monde.fr : Réactions parlementaires

[Marcus Marulus]

Sarkozy under scrutiny over troop decision - Asia, World - The Independent

Sarkozy to fly to Afghanistan after French deaths

[Errigal]

However, the French leader said his "determination remains intact" and that he plans to travel to Afghanistan to reassure his troops and that "France is at their side."

According to this article below, when Sarkozy did his military service in 1978 he was in charge of polishing the floors of an air force administration building in Paris. He never went out on the shooting range, worked mornings only and never lived in barracks. He got this posting so he could continue his law studies and work as a city councillor in Neuilly.

Contrairement au sergent de 28 ans qui a tiré à Carcassonne, Nicolas Sarkozy n'a, lui, pas couru le risque de se tromper de chargeur. Car, lors de son service militaire en 1978, notre chef des armées a plus manié la cireuse à parquet que le fusil d'assaut. «Il n'a même jamais été sur un champ de tir», assure un officier supérieur. Pistonné par Charles Pasqua (qu'il évincera tout de même de la mairie de Neuilly), il s'est fait affecter dans une planque confortable, à la base aérienne 117, dans le quartier Balard, à Paris. Il appartient alors au Groupe rapide d'Intervention : une «force spéciale» chargée... du nettoyage. Le matin, il passe la cireuse dans les couloirs de ce QG de services administratifs et financiers de l'armée de l'air. Celui qu'on surnomme alors «le gondolier de couloirs» dispose du reste de la journée pour poursuivre sa carrière politique de conseiller municipal à Neuilly et ses études de droit. Contrairement à Jacques Chirac, lieutenant en Algérie, resté «fana-mili», Sarkozy a mal vécu son service national. Dans une interview au «Nouvel Observateur» (13 décembre 2007), il déclarait : «Je n'ai jamais aimé être enfermé dans une caserne, même pendant mon service militaire !»

Actualité, Quoi de neuf Ã* New York

[Savorgnan]

French (professional) soldiers simply have nothing to do in Afghanistan. I wouldn't tolerate armed Afghan soldiers in France either.

Here are images of another ambush.

+ YouTube Video

[Germanicus]

Originally Posted by Savorgnan

I wouldn't tolerate armed Afghan soldiers in France either.

Its not been said,....but it is a sad day for the families of the dead soldiers.
We aknowledge the sacrifice they made and hopefully soon we can see the benefit of all who gave their lives, and for who are still serving in Afganistan and Iraq..

[Savorgnan]

Originally Posted by Germanicus

Its not been said,....but it is a sad day for the families of the dead soldiers.

There are much more people dying on French roads every day, and no one would care about their families.

We aknowledge the sacrifice they made and hopefully soon we can see the benefit of all who gave their lives, and for who are still serving in Afganistan and Iraq..

What will be this benefit then? And most of all, who will be allowed to pocket it?

[Germanicus]

Originally Posted by Savorgnan

What will be this benefit then? And most of all, who will be allowed to pocket it?

Obviously the people who live in fear of the Kalashmikov.

[orieleye]

French troops 'killed by Nato jets'


Sarkozy said he had no regrets about sending 700 more troops to Kabul [REUTERS]

Reports that 10 French soldiers who were killed in Afghanistan after being mistakenly attacked by Nato aircraft are to be "looked into," officials for the military alliance have said.

France's Le Monde newspaper quoted French soldiers who had survived the ambush near Kabul on Monday saying they were hit in a "friendly fire" incident.

The soldiers told the newspaper they waited for four hours for back-up after being ambushed.

But when Nato planes finally arrived they hit French troops after missing their target, the newspaper quoted the soldiers as saying.

A Nato official said on Wednesday: "I have nothing substantive to confirm or deny this particular suggestion.

"We are aware of the media reports and therefore we have to look into it."
The official said the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) "would probably defer in the first instance to the French authorities," in the investigation.

Afghan 'quagmire'

Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, said: "We have no reports of any casualties caused by close air support."

Asked whether French soldiers had been killed or wounded by friendly fire, he said there were "no reports of that".

The French army has refused to comment, the AFP news agency reported.

The comments came after Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, visited survivors of the incident at a French military base on the outskirts of Kabul on Wednesday.

He reaffirmed his government's commitment to the war in Afghanistan, saying: "We have to be here."

Speaking from Kabul, where he met Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, Sarkozy said he had no regrets about sending 700 reinforcements to the French contingent, adding: "If it had to be done again, I would do it.

"This is where the fight against terrorism is being waged."

Al Jazeera English - Europe - French troops \'killed by Nato jets\'

[Marcus Marulus]

Who's lying and who's telling the truth...who knows...

France 24 | French wounded soldiers \'back from hell\' | France 24

Sarkozy reaffirms France\'s Afghan commitment after soldiers\' deaths

France and Afghanistan - 10 french soldiers with ISAF killed in action (19.08.08) - Ministère des Affaires étrangères

Sarkozy: France to stay in Afghanistan despite soldier deaths

Ten French soldiers killed in Afghanistan as Taliban attacks grow more audacious | World news | The Guardian

Sarkozy heads to Afghanistan after French deaths - International Herald Tribune

Sarkozy visits Kabul after French soldiers killed - Yahoo! News

French survivors of the battle quoted in Le Monde on Wednesday said French soldiers were hit by friendly fire from NATO aircraft trying to free them, and that the troops waited four hours for reinforcements. There was no immediate official reaction to the claims.

U.S. Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman said the Pentagon had "no reports of fratricide caused by close air support."

[Marcus Marulus]

France salutes dead troops, to debate Afghan role

Francois Murphy

Reuters North American News Service

Aug 21, 2008 07:54 EST

PARIS, Aug 21 (Reuters) - France paid tribute on Thursday to 10 of its soldiers killed in an ambush in Afghanistan, and the government said parliament would debate the army's presence there after the country's worst military loss in 25 years.

At a religious ceremony in the golden-domed Invalides palace that houses the remains of military leaders including Napoleon Bonaparte, the dead men's crying relatives stroked and kissed their flag-draped coffins in front of President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The shock caused by the deaths has given way to questions on the conditions in which the attack occurred, with some media reporting that there had been communications breakdowns, that support was slow in arriving, that the men were poorly equipped and that they came under fire from allied aircraft sent to help.

"At the moment I am speaking to you, I have never been so aware of what the solitude of a head of state could be in the face of the decisions he has to take," Sarkozy said in an eulogy to the dead men, part of the "national tribute" to them.

"I want to ensure your colleagues are never in such a situation. I want all the lessons to be drawn from what happened," Sarkozy said, without elaborating.

France and the United States have said they have no indication that the men came under 'friendly fire' from jets sent to assist them, but Paris has said that what happened during the 12-hour clash will be examined in full.

Defence Minister Herve Morin told RTL radio France would set about "drawing the consequences in terms of equipment on the military escorting of our operations and of the missions that are conducted in Afghanistan."

The attack, in which 21 men were wounded, caused the heaviest loss of life by the French army since a truck bomb killed 58 paratroopers in Lebanon in 1983, and the worst by allied forces in Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion.

France has about 2,600 troops stationed in the country.

Few politicians have called for a pullout from Afghanistan but there are growing questions about the strategy being followed by France and its allies in the region.

The opposition Socialists, who criticised Sarkozy's decision this year to send an extra 700 troops to Afghanistan, demanded that a parliamentary committee to meet to discuss France's military presence there and its objectives.

Apparently bowing to the pressure, government spokesman Luc Chatel said an extraordinary session of parliament would be called on France's presence in Afghanistan, during which the government would make a statement and a debate would be held.

He did not say when the session would be held.

Sarkozy has, however, said France will keep fighting.

"We do not have the right to lose over there. We do not have the right to give up on defending our values. We do not have the right to let the barbarians triumph, because defeat at the other end of the world will come at the cost of a defeat on the territory of the French Republic," Sarkozy said.

(Editing by Mariam Karouny)


Source: Reuters North American News Service

[source]

[Marcus Marulus]

France denies US fire killed troops

From correspondents in Paris

August 21, 2008 11:13pm

FRENCH Defence Minister Herve Morin says there is no evidence US warplanes accidentally killed any of 10 French troops who died in a Taliban ambush in Afghanistan.

"There was fire from machine guns on American planes that were guided by American special forces and we have no information that enables us to consider that the French soldiers were killed under fire from NATO planes," he said today.

Ten French soldiers were killed and 21 wounded in a sustained attack on Monday by the insurgents east of Kabul.

Le Monde newspaper reported yesterday that, according to French troops wounded in the fighting, NATO air strikes missed their targets and hit French troops, as did shots fired by Afghan troops backing them up.

The Pentagon said yesterday it had no information that close US air support resulted in French casualties, while a NATO official in Brussels said the alliance would look into the report.

Mr Morin also denied claims by soldiers quoted in Le Monde that it took four hours for backup to arrive to help the ambushed French troops.

"Fifteen to 20 minutes after the engagement of our forces, a support section left the base camp and took around 40 to 50 minutes to get to the scene," he told French radio station RTL.

[source]

[Marcus Marulus]

French leader proposes vote on Afghanistan troops

France's prime minister wants parliament to vote on whether to keep French forces in Afghanistan, his office said Friday, as a new poll showed most of his compatriots want the troops pulled out after 10 died in a vicious ambush.

Poll: 55 pc of French want their troops out of Afghanistan

PARIS (AP): A majority of French people want their troops pulled out of Afghanistan, a poll suggested on Friday, days after an ambush there killed 10 French soldiers.

A survey in Le Parisien daily showed 55 percent of respondents think France should leave the NATO mission fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, compared to 36 percent who say they should remain following Monday's bloody attack.