Discover Yahoo! With Your Friends

Explore news, videos, and much more based on what your friends are reading and watching. Publish your own activity and retain full control.

To get started, first

YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    France honors 4 troops killed by Afghan soldier

    PARIS (AP) โ€” President Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday honored four French troops shot dead by an Afghan man, a killing that rattled France's commitment to a NATO-led war in Afghanistan unpopular among many French.

    In a somber ceremony in the southeastern town of Varces, the French leader said the troops gunned down were victims of a Taliban rebel who had infiltrated a military base stationed jointly by French and Afghan forces.

    "Four of our soldiers were shot in Afghanistan, victims of the most cowardly of crimes," he said in remarks aired on French TV. "While unarmed, they were slaughtered by a Taliban wearing the uniform of an ally's army."

    He noted the French troops were there to train Afghan soldiers.

    "We will not allow ourselves to be impressed by this barbarity ... that must strengthen us even more in our determination to work for peace," he added.

    After Friday's shootings, Sarkozy ordered a halt to French training programs for the Afghan military and threatened to withdraw French forces earlier than first planned.

    But top French officials in recent days have sought to dispel concerns abroad about a possible crack in the NATO-led alliance in Afghanistan and a hasty exit by France.

    Prime Minister Francois Fillon told parliament Tuesday that France is keeping to plans to withdraw 600 troops this year โ€” in line with a previous schedule pegged in part to a gradual U.S.-led withdrawal by 2014.

    France currently has about 3,600 troops in Afghanistan. France, the fourth-largest national contingent in the NATO-led force, has lost 92 troops since 2001. The total alliance death toll is nearly 2,560 โ€” mostly Americans.

    French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet, who traveled to Afghanistan right after the killings, is preparing a report for Sarkozy on what happened before the French leader specifies any new plans for the drawdown.

    Sarkozy, who is facing a possible re-election bid this spring, is expected to publicize his decision on Friday after hosting Afghan President Hamid Karzai for a long-scheduled meeting in Paris.

     

    10 comments

    • Marc  •  4 mths ago
      Pres. Sarkozy's order to halt the training of Afgan military by French military trainors is justified since the trainees were not properly screened and selected. It is extremely unfortunate and regretable that the trainors efforts were paid for by their lives.
      • Logan 4 mths ago
        The Irony of France training a fighting force has escaped you, hasn't it?

        A cascade of poor choices lead to unneeded death.
      • AUSCHWITZ THE MEANIN ... 4 mths ago
        France got their #$%$ kicked in that area of the world in the 50's by Cong and now The Ban... Taliban that is !! You don't occupy lands with a nice touch ......you....KILL EVERYONE !!!!
      • AUSCHWITZ THE MEANIN ... 4 mths ago
        You know they're being taken back to France because The French only want The French p+ss+ng on them !!
    • K  •  3 mths ago
      Merci, la France, de ces hommes forts et de leur sacrifice pour la libertรฉ et de la France.
    • mischief  •  4 mths ago
      get ready france you will soon have to apologize for the inconvience suffered by the assailant in killing these soldiers... they looked at that man and he felt threatened so must be the soldiers fault...
    • PCShogun  •  4 mths ago
      Wait! Where is Karzai vehemently decrying the deaths of the brave defenders of Afghanistan by an enemy infiltrator. Oh sorry, he only gets upset at Taliban deaths.
    • O LIGHTNING  •  4 mths ago
      Get th hell out of tht country! What will you win if you win?
    • .  •  4 mths ago
      French fries suddenly get a new meaning, haha.
      • truthisoutthere 4 mths ago
        How stone cold your heart must be to say that to any deceased person
    • GOD  •  Gainesville, Florida  •  4 mths ago
      War is horrible
      The so called men who fight it are horrible
      It is nothing but nightmare fuel
      Army is for fools and sadists
      No matter what country you are from
      • AUSCHWITZ THE MEANIN ... 4 mths ago
        All The West has to do is...LEAVE !!! Then the horror is over for them there !!
      • PCShogun 4 mths ago
        Yep, just like in Iraq. We left and they are STILL killing each other. Problem now is they cannot blame the west like they did in the past. I wonder, are they still called "Freedom Fighters" when they continue to kill old Iraqi men, women, and children after the great satan's occupiers are gone?
    • I've a Big 'Un  •  4 mths ago
      Maybe some American Marines will volunteer to pee in public on the caskets of those French soldiers. What's good for the goose....
      • PCShogun 4 mths ago
        I notice all the stupid comments come from bloggers with names like yours. You trying to compensate for something?
    • AUSCHWITZ THE MEANIN ...  •  4 mths ago
      Of course The French frogs#$%$ put berets on the coffins the dresses were too long and wide !!! and clashed with the flag !!!
      • PCShogun 4 mths ago
        You go Suck it. They are fighting to benefit the Afghan people also. I figured with a name like yours you'd be a Taliban supporter.
      • Oliver 4 mths ago
        Show some respect for the dead
      • AUSCHWITZ THE MEANIN ... 4 mths ago
        To pc you can suck yourself and feel free to go open up the coffins of those dead "soldiers" and fellate them too !! " The enemy of my enemy" and all that !! Also you're a fool if you think The West cares about The Afghanis !!! Just like they cared about The Somalis !! Just like they cared about Iraqis,Libyans and so on and so forth !! The West esp America cares about vengence,influence,oil, "trophies" and so on and so forth !!
    • James  •  Dublin, Ireland  •  4 mths ago
      thought france would of surrendered by now
    [ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['Titanic', 7]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/titanic-anniversary/', ' ', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/b/4e/b4e5ad9f00b5dfeeec2226d53e173569.jpeg', '550', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]
    [ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]