PARIS, Dec 29 (KUNA) - Two French soldiers were killed Thursday morning by a renegade Afghan soldier in the Tagab Valley in Afghanistan, official sources confirmed.
The early morning attack that killed the two non-commissioned officers took place during a support mission to the Afghan army by a French deployment.
The incident took place when one of the Afghan National Army (ANA) turned his weapon on the French soliders deployed with the International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF).
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that he had learned with "great sadness" of the deaths and Prime Minister Francois Fillon also expressed "deep emotion" and both men expressed condolences to the families of the soldiers.
The latest casualties bring to 78 the number of French dead in Afghanistan since 2011.
France has already begun pulling out some of its forces from that country and is soon expected to have withdrawn a total of 800 men of the 4,000 deployed there.
All foreign troops are to withdraw by the end of 2014.
Sarkozy said Thursday that France wanted "once again to express its determination to continue to work with the ISAF to re-establish peace and stability (in Afghanistan) and to contribute to its development." The French and Afghan government are soon to sign a "Cooperation Treaty" covering a broad range of areas.
France is also active in training Afghan security forces to assume responsibilities for maintaining law and order and security in that country after 2014. (End) jk.ajs KUNA 291434 Dec 11NNNN