WORLD> Middle East
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WORLD> Middle East
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Afghan militants hit US base, kill 10 French
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-20 06:53 Seth Jones, an analyst at the Washington-based RAND Corp., said the latest attacks "targeting US and other NATO forces, and Afghan forces, have become larger and bolder, and they include direct, almost conventional-style attacks." "In late 2006 and into 2007, there was a much greater reluctance among the Taliban and other groups to carry out these conventional-style attacks," said Jones, who travels frequently to Afghanistan. The new operations indicate "they clearly believe they are winning now, and it's caused them to be a bit more audacious." This year will likely be the deadliest for international troops since the 2001 invasion. Some 178 international forces, including about 96 US troops, have died in Afghanistan this year, according to an Associated Press count. That pace should far surpass the record 222 international troop deaths in 2007. The attack on Camp Salerno came a day after a suicide car bombing outside the US base killed 10 Afghan civilians and wounded 13 others. Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, the Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman, offered a slightly different death toll for Tuesday's suicide attack. He said six militants blew themselves up when cornered and seven other militants died in the explosions and a rolling gun battle. Five Afghan soldiers were wounded, he said. A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said 15 militants were dispatched for the attack, and seven blew themselves up, while eight returned to a Taliban safehouse. Mujahid also claimed responsibility for the attack on the French troops. President Bush, briefed at his Texas ranch about the French deaths, offered a "heartfelt thanks for the sacrifice that they are making and the commitment that the French are making to help secure Afghanistan," said White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe. State Department spokesman Robert Wood noted that Sarkozy restated his country's resolve to support international forces. "It's important to remember that we are all engaged in a serious effort to bring about a stable Afghanistan," Wood said. Jones, the RAND analyst, said insurgents are benefiting from a learning process that comes with years of fighting. They are exploiting vulnerable spots more effectively and increasingly using intelligence to their advantage. Safe havens in Pakistan also aid their effectiveness, he said. An Afghan official said earlier Tuesday that four French soldiers had been captured and killed. But Georgelin, the French general, denied that during a news conference in Paris. 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. France's new troop deployment will bring the country's force in Afghanistan to 2,600. Sarkozy announced the new forces in April, after the United States pressed its NATO allies to shoulder a heavier part of the combat in Afghanistan. The French deaths were the highest for that country in an attack since clashes in Bouake, Ivory Coast, in 2004. Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner insisted, "France will continue to assume its responsibilities in favor of a democratic and peaceful Afghanistan, and in the fight against terrorism."
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