French president Nicholas Sarkozy’s determination to expand his country’s support to the NATO mission in Afghanistan may soon be tested at home:
Taliban insurgents mounted their most serious attacks in six years of fighting, one a complex attack with multiple suicide bombers on an American military base on Monday night, and another by some 100 insurgents on French forces in a district east of the capital, killing 10 French soldiers and wounding 21 others, military officials said Tuesday.
According to CENTCOM, France’s total contribution of ground forces to ISAF is around 1100 soldiers, so the loss of 10 KIA and 21 wounded is not merely a tragedy in human terms but a palpable national event. In better news, a complex attack on a US base near Khost was repulsed with the assistance of an ANA commando unit:
The insurgents began attacking with rockets and mortars at 11 p.m., and a group of 13 suicide bombers began to move toward the airport side of the base. An Afghan commando unit encircled them and engaged them in furious fighting, General Azimi said. Thirteen militants were killed, including 10 who were wearing suicide vests, he said.
At least one of the insurgent KIA included a Pakistani fighter, according to the NYT report. In potentially related news, a suicide bomber in Pakistan’s troubled Northwest Frontier Province killed 23 people at a hospital yesterday.
You know, for God.
I’m always willing to mock and ridicule the French just on general principles, but not this time.
To lose 1% of your force in a single engagement is tough. I hope their countrymen don’t go all wobbly. They were doing something important and worthwhile.
XBradTC: i concur in all particulars.
Yep. Them peaceful Muslims sure do know how to throw a get well party, don’t they? I guess it must to them be, get well….. or else.
Constantly amazed at what passes without condemnation from civilized politicians and journalists alike nowadays. One would think blowing up a hospital MIGHT lead one to receive some notable bad publicity with a negative Public Relations connotation……. However, one would be wrong about that.
Wouldn’t one?
Subsunk
God bless the famillies of the French who died, and here’s hoping for a swift recovery for those wounded so they can return to the fight to get some payback.
Jim C