French service member shot dead in northeast Afghanistan

French service member shot dead in northeast Afghanistan

2011-07-14 18:45:51 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- A French service member was shot dead in northeast Afghanistan on Thursday, the French government said, a day after a suicide bomber killed five French soldiers in the same province.

A statement released by the office of French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the attack happened in the Alasay District of Kapisa Province, located in the country's northeast. "It is with deep emotion that the president learned this morning of the death of a marine commando in Alasay," the statement said.

The marine was participating in an Afghan police operation when the group was attacked by insurgents. "He was hit by a shot from a light weapon," the statement added. "The president extends his sincere condolences to the family and loves ones of the victim and shares their pan."

The attack came less than 24 hours after a suicide bomber approached a French convoy in the district of Tagab in Kapisa province and detonated his explosives, killing five French soldiers and one Afghan civilian. Several others were injured.

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.

So far this year, at least 308 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. Most of the casualties are American.

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