| Submit your comments on this article |
| Afghanistan |
| 10 French soldiers die in Afghan battle |
| 2008-08-19 |
| SUROBI, Afghanistan - Insurgents ambushed a group of French parachutists outside Kabul, sparking a battle that killed 10 of the soldiers in the biggest loss of life for international forces in combat in Afghanistan in more than three years, officials said Tuesday. The French soldiers from the 8th infantry parachute regiment were on a reconnaissance mission in the Surobi district, an area known as a militant redoubt about 30 miles east of the Afghan capital. Qazi Suliman, the district chief in Surobi, said the ambush sparked a three-hour gunbattle. French president Nicolas Sarkozy confirmed that 10 were killed and 21 wounded in the clashes. An Afghan official said that four of those soldiers had been kidnapped by insurgents and killed. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't supposed to release the information. Suliman said he had a report that 13 militants were killed. NATO officials had no immediate comment. It was the highest French military death toll in an attack since clashes in Bouake, Ivory Coast in 2004. One Western official described the attacks on the French as "complex." France will have some 2,600 troops in Afghanistan by the end of this month, after Sarkozy pledged in April to send 700 more troops to eastern Afghanistan. Sarkozy said he plans to travel to Afghanistan to reassure French troops and that "France is at their sides." Meanwhile, a team of suicide bombers tried unsuccessfully to storm a U.S. military base near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in a daring attack on a major American installation. In the attack on the U.S. base just a few miles from the border with Pakistan, militants failed to gain entry to Camp Salerno in Khost city after launching waves of attacks just before midnight on Monday, said Arsallah Jamal, the governor of Khost. The attacks came a day after a suicide bomb outside the same base killed 10 civilians and wounded 13 others. Soldiers on the ground, fighter aircraft and helicopters chased the retreating militants. NATO said its forces identified the attackers about 1,000 yards outside of the base perimeter and launched helicopter gunships. Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, the Afghan Defense 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 anytime 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. At least 13 insurgents and two Afghan civilians died in the attack, officials said. Five Afghan soldiers were wounded in the fighting, Azimi said. The Taliban appeared to confirm the account. Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said 15 militants 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 militants were outside the checkpoint leading to the base's airport, both of whom had on vests packed with explosives, Jamal said. It wasn't clear if those militants were among the dead in Azimi's count. Militants have long targeted U.S. bases with suicide bombers, but coordinated attacks on such a major base are rare. The attack comes a day after the top U.S. general in the region, Maj. Gen. Jeffrey J. 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. |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #16 and just got looser |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-08-19 23:36 |
| #15 Ambush in tight terrain and some buildings. All deaths were in first hour. Battle took many hours, not just 3, and we piled up the Talib dead. I did not know that the Legion was operating in Afghanistan. If so, their ROE are probably far looser than the paras. |
| Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2008-08-19 23:35 |
| #14 Our gratitude and respect to these soldiers. |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-08-19 19:23 |
| #13 Their paras are the real deal, but probably more likely to stay on leash than the FL if that's what Sarko wants. They may just have to be patient before they can get even. Or subtle. Nuanced. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-08-19 16:38 |
| #12 9 paratroopers, 1 legionaire I read in one of the stories. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-08-19 16:18 |
| #11 I'm not sure about the French paras, but if it had been the Foreign Legion, the attackers would find themselves hunted down like rats and eliminated. If I were a citizen of Afghanistan, I'd be VERY careful around French forces for the next six months or so. God grant you rest in peace, honored sirs. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2008-08-19 16:13 |
| #10 My gratitude, a crisp salute and a prayer for France and it's paras. Notre Père Notre Père, qui es aux cieux, Que ton nom soit sanctifié, Que ton règne vienne, Que ta volonté soit faite sur la terre comme au ciel. Donne-nous aujourd'hui notre pain de ce jour. Pardonne-nous nos offences Comme nous pardonnons aussi à ceux qui nous ont offensés. Et ne nous soumets pas à la tentation, mais délivre-nous du mal, car c'est à toi qu'appartiennent le règne, la puissance et la gloire, aux siècles des siècles. Amen. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-08-19 14:32 |
| #9 From the BBC... French defence officials said about 100 soldiers - from France, the US and Afghanistan - were on a reconnaissance mission when bad road conditions forced them to stop their vehicles. A group of French soldiers was sent ahead on foot to check the terrain, but they were ambushed by Taleban fighters and nine were killed. A tenth French soldier was killed when his vehicle overturned on the road. An Afghan intelligence officer told the BBC the troops had been ambushed from several directions. "The Taleban and al-Qaeda forces used heavy machine guns and other weapons. They fired from mountains and gardens," he said. The fighting went on for 24 hours and it is understood that reinforcements had to be called in to airlift the troops to safety. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-08-19 14:21 |
| #8 Afghanistan was never winnable for a bunch of geopolitical reasons. This will push the Euros toward that realization. Get past the tranzi agenda of Afghanistan = good UN approved war; Iraq = bad US unilateral war. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2008-08-19 13:36 |
| #7 An Afghan official said that four of those soldiers had been kidnapped by insurgents and killed. Captured and murdered is more like it. I wouldn't wanna be the next Talis that go up against the French. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-08-19 12:29 |
| #6 From AP: About 100 insurgents ambushed a group of French paratroopers as they climbed a mountain pass, killing 10 soldiers in a militant stronghold outside the capital. France's top military official, Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin, said most of the French casualties came in the minutes after the team was climbing a mountain pass. The fighting lasted into nightfall, he said. |
| Posted by: ed 2008-08-19 12:01 |
| #5 They gave themselves to protect the world from the local branch of this generation's Evil. May their memories provide comfort to those who loved them, and strike fear in the hearts of those who think to attack such as they in the future. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-08-19 11:45 |
| #4 Bless France and Sarkozy for their work in Afghanistan. Given the action was only 30 mi from Kabul I would be the Taliban had an informant somewhere in the Afghan Def Ministry. |
| Posted by: mhw 2008-08-19 10:41 |
| #3 Telle est guerre. Despite my occasional ribbing of the French (mostly the leadership), they are damn good shots and I bet they gave back better than what they got. Send 'em to Hell, guys! |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2008-08-19 09:54 |
| #2 d'accord |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2008-08-19 09:30 |
| #1 This is dreadful. It is also war. Thank you for your service and condolences to your families. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2008-08-19 09:21 |