French forces committed to Afghanistan for nine years on Wednesday paid tribute again in Kapisa (east of Kabul) with the death of a soldier from the 2nd Rima in the explosion of a roadside bomb that injured nine other soldiers, including three seriously .
The death of Corporal of the 2nd Marine Infantry Regiment, based at Le Mans, announced by the Elysée, brings to 56 the number of soldiers killed in Afghanistan since the deployment of French forces in that country in December 2001.
Corporal Alexander River, aged 23, was married with a child. He was in Afghanistan since December 2010.It is the fourth French soldier died since the beginning of the year in this country, and the third killed in operation, told AFP spokesman of the General Staff of Armed Thierry Burkhard.
His section, belonging to the Task Force in La Fayette, was engaged in a mission control and was approaching the village of Payendakehl (South Tagab), when an armored vehicle carrying troops (VAB) was hit by the explosion of a roadside bomb (IED). Also in this region that the two French journalists from France 3, Hervé Ghesquière and Stephane Taponier were abducted Dec. 30, 2009.
Ten men were aboard the VAB. Corporal River died before help arrived.The nine other porpoises have been evacuated to the combat outpost advanced (COP Combat Outpost) Hutnik, named after a legionnaire of the 2nd Parachute Regiment abroad (2nd REP) fell under the bullets of the Taliban April 8, 2010, reported Colonel Burkhard.
This position is located some sixty kilometers east of Kabul and the southern end of the Tagab Valley which forms the junction between the two areas of responsibility, the French province of Kapisa in the north, and the District of Suribi south.
This COP dominates a "green zone", a refuge for insurgents and French troops have renamed the "hornets nest" or "jungle." It is in this strategic region that French forces have suffered the bulk of their losses in recent months.Control Tagab Valley has been heavy fighting between French forces and insurgents.
The injured, three seriously, were then transported to the French military hospital located on the Kabul International Airport.
The spokesman of the General Staff said the "escalation of use of improvised explosive devices" by the Taliban."These actions also indirectly affect the population," he noted.
Colonel Burkhard explained that the proliferation of "big operations late 2010 and early 2011" by the allied forces had to reduce the consequences of direct contacts of the Taliban, who then favored artisanal mines.
President Nicolas Sarkozy, who offered his condolences to the family of Corporal, and expressed his support to the wounded, reiterated Wednesday in a statement, "its support for the Afghan people and Afghan authorities."He also assured of "France's determination to continue working within the Force International Security Assistance".
"This force, mandated by the UN, has been tasked to help restore stability, peace and development in Afghanistan," he said.
The Defence Minister Gerard Longuet said he was "convinced that beyond the legitimate suffering of this family and its relatives, this new sacrifice is not in vain.""The struggle of our soldiers, alongside those of the international coalition, is one of hope," he said in a statement.
Prime Minister Francois Fillon also gave evidence of his emotion and his support for French forces engaged in Afghanistan.
