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Afghan soldier kills 4 French troops
The shooting underscores the fragile relationship between Afghan and foreign troops who are partnered across Afghanistan.
Paris: France is suspending all training operations for Afghan troops and threatening to pull its entire force out of Afghanistan early after an Afghan soldier shot and killed four French soldiers on Friday.
The attack was among the most deadly for French forces in the 10 years they have been serving in the international force in Afghanistan.
The US-led coalition said an Afghan soldier shot and killed four NATO troops in eastern Afghanistan on Friday. French President Nicolas Sarkozy confirmed the death, which brings to 82 the number of French troops killed in the Afghan campaign.
"From now on, all the operations of training and combat help by the French army are suspended," Sarkozy said in Paris.
A big part of the French role recently has been training Afghan troops ahead of an expected pullout of the around 4,000 French troops currently there in 2014.
"If the conditions of security are not clearly restored, then the question of an early withdrawal of the French Army would arise," Sarkozy said, without elaborating. "The French Army is in Afghanistan at the service of the Afghans against terrorism and against the Taliban. The French Army is not in Afghanistan so that Afghan soldiers can shoot at them," Sarkozy said.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai is expected to visit Paris next week.
Bureau Report
The attack was among the most deadly for French forces in the 10 years they have been serving in the international force in Afghanistan.
The US-led coalition said an Afghan soldier shot and killed four NATO troops in eastern Afghanistan on Friday. French President Nicolas Sarkozy confirmed the death, which brings to 82 the number of French troops killed in the Afghan campaign.
"From now on, all the operations of training and combat help by the French army are suspended," Sarkozy said in Paris.
A big part of the French role recently has been training Afghan troops ahead of an expected pullout of the around 4,000 French troops currently there in 2014.
"If the conditions of security are not clearly restored, then the question of an early withdrawal of the French Army would arise," Sarkozy said, without elaborating. "The French Army is in Afghanistan at the service of the Afghans against terrorism and against the Taliban. The French Army is not in Afghanistan so that Afghan soldiers can shoot at them," Sarkozy said.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai is expected to visit Paris next week.
Bureau Report