Afghanistan - attack - France - soldiers - Taliban
France hails fallen troops' bravery in Afghanistan
Thursday 21 August 2008
French President Nicolas Sarkozy presided over a ceremony to honour the 10 French soldiers killed in Afghanistan and hailed their "struggle against barbarism" at Les Invalides memorial.
Thursday 21 August 2008
By France 24 (text) / France 2, R. Tompsett (video)25/07/07: Kapisa, a test for
16/11/07: Taliban-istan - two sides, one war
As the grieving families of the 10 soldiers killed in Afghanistan looked on, French President Nicolas Sarkozy honoured France’s fallen heroes at a solemn ceremony in Paris Thursday.
Speaking at a ceremony at Les Invalides, the golden-domed monument in Paris where France’s war dead are commemorated, Sarkozy hailed the “valour, courage, comradeship and solidarity” of the soldiers.
“All of the French nation pays tribute to 10 of its sons who paid the ultimate price, who laid their lives down for their country,” said Sarkozy.
The 10 paratroopers were killed in a battle with Taliban militants that began late Monday and continued into Tuesday, in the Sarobi area at the edge of Kabul province in Afghanistan. Twenty-one soldiers were injured, eleven of whom were brought back to France Wednesday. The attack was the deadliest for the French army in more than 20 years.
Flanked by French Prime Minister François Fillon and his cabinet ministers, Sarkozy praised the fallen soldiers’ contribution to the “struggle against barbarism, darkness and terrorism," before adding, "I want all lessons to be drawn from what happened."
’He died a great fighter’
France has been in mourning after Tuesday’s incident, the worst for any single coalition country in Afghanistan since 2002.
“They fought to the death for twelve hours. What more can I say?” Sandrine Devez, widow of Staff Sergeant Devez, told FRANCE 2, a French TV station. She added: “He died a great fighter. He deserves a medal.”
Her husband died in the deadly fire-fight, leaving behind two children.
Questions surround the incident
But even as France mourns its dead, there were questions about the preparedness of the troops as well as the military response on the ground.
Responding to criticism that the soldiers were too young and inexperienced, French Defence Minister Herve Morin said a professional army is “inevitably” composed of young soldiers.
There has been a growing debate about what actually happened.
An unnamed soldier interviewed in the French paper, Le Monde, said they only had assault rifles and that they ran out of ammunition during the attack.
French media reports also raised the issue of delayed air support. According to the daily, the French troops were under enemy fire “for nearly four hours without reinforcements”.
“When we reached 50 meters from a ridgeline, the firing started. It didn’t stop for six hours. The attackers had elite shooters. They outnumbered us and were waiting for us,” the soldier told the newspaper.
According to the official statement from the French Defense Ministry, nine soldiers were killed within minutes of the firefight starting, and the tenth was killed when his vehicle overturned.
French defense officials are investigating the incident, according to Gen. Elrick Irastorza, Army chief of staff. “Every time we have an incident like this, we have post-experience procedures,” Irastorza told reporters. “We examine what happened and what could have happened.”
While Sarkozy has vowed to continue French assistance for NATO’s anti-Taliban operations in Afghanistan, the French president has had to face criticism both from the opposition Socialist Party as well as from several French news outlets who openly questioned the relevance of reinforcing French troops in Afghanistan in the aftermath of the loss.
In the latest in weeks of intense fighting between NATO troops and Taliban insurgents, three Polish soldiers and more 30 militants were killed in the Laghman province, near Sarobi, according to a coalition statement released Thursday.
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REPORT
French ministers defend Afghan mission. 21/08
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Relatives mourn French soldiers killed in Afghanistan, FR2 report. 21/08
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'OUR SOLDIERS CARRIED OUT THEIR DUTY WITH GREAT COURAGE'
Jean Marie Bockel, France's Junior Ministry of Defence, speaks to FRANCE 24
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FRANCE 24 REPORT
The French President and Defence Minister arrived in Kabul following the deadly attack. Video by R.Ranucci, S.Sitbon, R. Marusak and Mathieu Mabin, 20/08/08
Vidéo
Pour aller plus loin
Pour aller plus loin
03/09/2008 21:50:32 Alert a moderator
Afghanistan
By Danieal - Johannesburg
I bleive Italy, England USA France all had their victims. As a mother I can only feel sorry for the mothers, the wives, the sisters eetc. But surely these guys know that when they go to war the risk to die is there. Do you want to see them as heros fo the nations? I am sure their blood would be more useful for other causes. Nobody is talking about the thousands of civilians who die every day in Irak, Afghanista etc, are tehy not also children of crying and bereaving mothers? Are they not worth our compassion?
03/09/2008 18:48:16 Alert a moderator
Afghanistan
By Anonyme - London
In early 1937 my father was a British Army major stationed in India when the regiment was posted to the frontier with Afghanistan. As a result my mother, heavily pregnant with me, returned to England for my birth. Later, I discussed the expedition with my father who commented that the British had been fighting Afghan tribesment for 150 years already and that "it was a complete waste of time as these people would never be civilised". In more recent years a Pakistani friend of mine told me that nobody in their right mind in Pakistan ever set foot in what they called the "tribal areas". Although one can understand that the idiots who run America can continue this futile expedition, there is no reason why our idiot political leaders should have their noses up the Americans bottoms. We are simply wasting British (and French) lives to no avail. It must stop.
03/09/2008 10:08:48 Alert a moderator
Afghanistan
By Anonyme - UK, Corby
We (the french etc) should not be occupying Afghanistan. Terrorism is an excuse, we want to protect the cultivation of drugs for US use.
26/08/2008 11:29:02 Alert a moderator
Last commentary
By Yamin - Monteal
Before insulting our President, you should have studied a bit more the topic of Jihad and what it means for our free countries, Sarkozy is right in comparing this phenomena with Nazi Germany. In 1930 in didn't help to want peace and refuse the idea of 1000 years Reich, because Hitler believed in it, only a speedy military reaction would have spared the world over 40 millions death. Nowdays the Islamist believe in the rise of an universal Kalifat, and your peace ideas will not detere them to fight for it with all means.
23/08/2008 14:12:11 Alert a moderator
news
By joseph walker - sherborne dorset uk
You cannot fight a campaign with one hand tied behind your back.to many restrictions in rules of combat.
22/08/2008 06:47:41 Alert a moderator
Sarkozy is a Man
By John -
Sakorzy is the only leader who has the courage to annonce his visit in Afganistan before going there.He told the terrorists he was coming to get his dead brothers. The other leader from like Brown or his Oncle don't have a nut. They only make surprised visit because the are scared of the terrorist. I like Sarkozy because he is a man.
22/08/2008 01:37:12 Alert a moderator
Homage
By Eva - united states
I am impressed with the way French President Nicolas Sarkozy paid homage to these brave soldiers. My thoughts are with their respective families.
21/08/2008 10:12:33 Alert a moderator
feminist soldiers?
By Anonyme - france
Well, you should go first in a french army barrack and discuss with soldiers before saying they're protecting women against oppression...You're going too far, for sure. They were sent there to follow a policy, and liberation of women is not a priority of any kind, neither in Afghanistan nor in France! Don't forget the support given to taleban up until 1998 by western countries, don't forget the fact that Mr Sarkozy said that the saudian society was a model...
20/08/2008 00:58:35 Alert a moderator
Brave soldiers
By Anonyme - UK Londres
My sincere condolences to the families and friends of the brave French soldiers who sacrificed their lives to bring Afghanistan from the 14th century to the 21st century. You gave your lives so that the female half of the population could have the same lives as the male, that the intelligent male population could have the ability to state that that is what they want.
20/08/2008 18:42:54 Alert a moderator
Any Conflict
By Anonyme - United States
Nobody wins in a war….
It is a monumental failure of world leaders….
And to humanity….
20/08/2008 16:18:12 Alert a moderator
Afganistan
By Peter Vaughan - England
when are 'we' going to stop the supply of 'bullets' getting through?
20/08/2008 13:12:39 Alert a moderator
Thanks to France - Sorrow for your soldiers' deaths
By Anonyme - USA/North Carolina
My sorrow and prayers go out to your nation and soldiers' families. France has been a friend of the USA for over 230 years. The French Navy helped the US win the Battle of Yorktown and assure our freedom. We appreciate your support of freedom today and your President's support. God Bless France and your soldiers.
19/08/2008 21:46:40 Alert a moderator
sad
By bert - toulouse/France
Sad news, but not beyond expectations. The main problem of the region is Pakistan. Pakistan is fueling the afghan insurgents. Where do all those weapons come from? Where are the fighters bases? Pakistan, along with saudi Arabia, was the main support of taleban since 1994, they created them. Pakistan supported them up until nov 2001. It is not Iran which support those taleban, but Pakistan. Are we going to keep our ties and business with those people killing our soldiers, wether they'refrench, US or brits? How long will it last?
19/08/2008 20:42:06 Alert a moderator
Very sorry
By Ronald Mcisaac - Canada
Very sorry for france's loss.
19/08/2008 19:20:42 Alert a moderator
France stays the course alongside Bush.
By Anonyme - Ansonia, Connecticut
Macho macho man!
How can this possibly be a good thing?
19/08/2008 15:13:37 Alert a moderator
a right war?
By John - US-New York
The real question is: is it a right war? I am really sad for these soldiers, but do we have to send more troops in this country? Sarkozy, Bush, Obama, Mc Cain are all the same: they want to keep troops in Afghanistan. Kabul is the only city controlled (almost) in Afghanistan...
19/08/2008 14:16:31 Alert a moderator
again
By Anonyme - USA
This is the price to pay for choosing an idiot as president what worries me more is that mr sarkozy wants to send even more troops to Afghanistan. It seems Americans again have made up their minds to choose one of the two warmongers once again.God bless us all, even if you French don't believe in one.