France's Sarkozy in Afghanistan after troop deaths
President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in Afghanistan on Wednesday stressing his continued commitment to France's military mission there after Taliban forces killed 10 French soldiers and wounded 21 in an ambush east of the capital.
Harry due to arrive back in BritainIn a visit due to last just a few hours Sarkozy was to pay his respects to the dead soldiers, visit the wounded at a French hospital and hold talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, French officials said.
He was accompanied by Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, Defence Minister Herve Morin and General Jean-Louis Georgelin, armed forces chief.
Before leaving France, Sarkozy vowed to stay the course in Afghanistan.
"My determination is intact. France is determined to continue the struggle against terrorism for democracy and freedom. The cause is just. It is an honour for France and its army to defend it," he said in a statement.
The soldiers, from three elite paratroop and marine regiments, were killed on Monday in a fierce battle after their NATO-led ISAF force unit was ambushed on a reconnaissance mission in the Sarobi district, some 60 km (40 miles) east of Kabul.
The loss was the worst suffered by the French army in a single incident since 58 paratroops were killed by a suicide bomber in Lebanon in 1983 and the worst in combat with enemy forces since the Algerian war that ended in 1962.
Monday's ambush took to 24 the number of French soldiers killed in Afghanistan since 2002.
Sarkozy decided earlier this year to reinforce the French contingent in Afghanistan, which now numbers 2,600, as part of the International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) battling the resurgent Taliban.
(Editing by David Fox)
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