French may withdraw from Afghanistan after shooting

France threatened to withdraw its entire force from Afghanistan after an Afghan soldier shot and killed four French troops yesterday, wounding 15 others.

The shooting came during a deadly 24 hours for the international military coalition and just hours after six US Marines died in a helicopter crash.

The French deaths were the latest in a series of attacks by members of the Afghan security forces or infiltrators against coalition partners. The attacks have raised fears of increased Taleban infiltration of the Afghan police and army as foreign combat forces prepare to withdraw from the country by 2014. Paris also suspended training operations in the country.

The impact of that move is unclear, but it would result in a major setback for the coalition if other troop-contributing nations stopped training Afghan national security forces or decided to pull out earlier than planned.

French officials said the Afghan soldier opened fire shortly after unarmed French soldiers had finished physical training exercises. French military spokesman Colonel Thierry Burkhard said the soldier appeared to have had authorisation to enter Forward Operating Base in Gwan in the Tagab district of Kapisa province. Three quarters of the 600 soldiers on the base are Afghan and the rest are French, Col Burkhard said.

President Nicolas Sarkozy announced the French deaths in Paris.

“The French army is in Afghanistan at the service of the Afghans against terrorism and against the Taleban. The French army is not in Afghanistan so that Afghan soldiers can shoot at them,” he said.

He added that if security for troops is not restored, “then the question of an early withdrawal of the French army would arise”.

Defence minister Gerard Longuet said the French soldiers were unarmed when the attacker opened fire during a very difficult training exercise at high altitude.

Taleban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid praised the Afghan attacker but did not claim he was an infiltrator or provide other details.

Afghan president Hamid Karzai expressed deep regret over the attack.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said this was “a very sad day for our troops in Afghanistan and for the French people,” but insisted that such incidents are “isolated”.

The helicopter crash, which occurred in the southern Helmand province, was the deadliest in Afghanistan since August, when 30 American troops died after a Chinook helicopter was apparently shot down in Wardak province in the centre of the country.

The cause of the crash on Thursday is still being investigated, but a coalition statement said there was no enemy activity in the area when it happened.

A senior US defence official said all six reported killed were US Marines and there was no indication that the helicopter had been hit by enemy fire.

Taleban spokesman Qari Yousef claimed insurgents shot down the helicopter, a Chinook, in Musa Qala district of Helmand province, killing all on board. However, the Taleban frequently exaggerate the number of people they claim to have killed.