Roadside bomb kills French soldier, injures 9

Roadside bomb kills French soldier, injures 9

2011-04-21 04:58:39 GMT+7 (ICT)

PARIS/KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- A French soldier was killed on Wednesday and several others were injured when a roadside bomb struck their armored vehicle in northeastern Afghanistan, officials said.

The office of French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that the attack happened during an operation in Kapisa Province. "This afternoon, the President learned with great emotion about the death of a corporal of the 2nd Marine Infantry Regiment in Afghanistan," Elysee Palace said.

According to the Palace, an improvised explosive device (IED) struck an armored vehicle, killing the soldier and injuring nine others. "The President of the Republic sends his most sincere condolences to the family and friends of the soldier killed in battle," the statement said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. "At least five French invaders were killed when a powerful explosion detonated by a remote-controlled device tore through their foot patrol in Tagab, Kapisa," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.

The Taliban frequently exaggerates the number of casualties and other details of its operations for propaganda purposes.

Earlier on Wednesday, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) confirmed that one of its service members was killed in southern Afghanistan as a result of a non-battle related injury. It gave no further details about the incident, or the nationality of the service member.

And in Britain, the British Ministry of Defense confirmed that one of its soldiers died in Birmingham on Tuesday after being injured on Monday as a result of an IED attack in Afghanistan's Helmand province.

Coalition casualties in Afghanistan have been rising sharply in recent years, with a total coalition death toll of 709 in 2010, making it the deadliest year for international troops since the war began in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.

The council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) eventually declared that the attacks of 9/11, which killed nearly 3,000 people from scores of countries, was considered an attack on all NATO nations. The NATO-backed war in Afghanistan aims to defeat the Taliban and other insurgent groups in the country.

So far this year, more than 130 coalition service members have been killed in Afghanistan. Most troops are killed in the country's south, which is plagued by IED attacks on troops and civilians.

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