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French Minister in Afghanistan After Troops Killed


French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian listens to a speech at the Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-la Security Summit, in Singapore, June 3, 2012.
French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian listens to a speech at the Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-la Security Summit, in Singapore, June 3, 2012.
France's defense minister is in Afghanistan following a Taliban attack that killed four French NATO troops and wounded five others.

Minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian is in Kabul, where he is expected restate his government's plan to begin withdrawing troops next month and offer support for the troops.

On Saturday, a male bomber disguised in a burqa blew himself up, killing the French soldiers in eastern Kapisa province, where most of the NATO troops are French.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Last month, French President Francois Hollande announced France will pull out 2,000 combat troops by the end of 2012 - well ahead of NATO's 2014 withdrawal target.

France's remaining 1,400 troops would help Afghan forces with training and logistics. The country also has 150 police in Afghanistan.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.

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