- Jun 24, 2003
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While it's true that France only has some ~3,600 troops in Afghanistan, the danger is that smaller ISAF partners, particularly Eastern Europeans, may decide to follow suit with the world power. With economic recession still plaguing most of Europe, those Eastern European nations are really straining themselves to keep troops deployed to Afghanistan.
The linked article doesn't go into detail about the incident in Kapisa Province, but basically the French soldiers were exercising, unarmed on an Afghan garrison. The Afghans were armed. An Afghan NCO started firing at the group of Frenchmen with an AK-47, killing 4 and wounding 16.
While it is tragic, the fact is, and has been, that the highest threat to ISAF forces in Afghanistan is green on blue violence. That is, Afghans turning on their trainers & mentors, either due to personal disagreements or Taliban\Al-queda affiliation. As such, being unarmed in the presence of armed Afghans is an absolutely unacceptable risk. I lived on an Afghan garrison, and when we would go for runs in the mountains, we would carry weapons. Ironically, the two French majors and 1 LTC I worked with thought we were silly for carrying weapons while we exercised. :hmm:
While it's true that France only has some ~3,600 troops in Afghanistan, the danger is that smaller ISAF partners, particularly Eastern Europeans, may decide to follow suit with the world power. With economic recession still plaguing most of Europe, those Eastern European nations are really straining themselves to keep troops deployed to Afghanistan.
The linked article doesn't go into detail about the incident in Kapisa Province, but basically the French soldiers were exercising, unarmed on an Afghan garrison. The Afghans were armed. An Afghan NCO started firing at the group of Frenchmen with an AK-47, killing 4 and wounding 16.
While it is tragic, the fact is, and has been, that the highest threat to ISAF forces in Afghanistan is green on blue violence. That is, Afghans turning on their trainers & mentors, either due to personal disagreements or Taliban\Al-queda affiliation. As such, being unarmed in the presence of armed Afghans is an absolutely unacceptable risk. I lived on an Afghan garrison, and when we would go for runs in the mountains, we would carry weapons. Ironically, the two French majors and 1 LTC I worked with thought we were silly for carrying weapons while we exercised. :hmm: