“France’s new commitment to put more of its troops on the line in Afghanistan was severely tested yesterday after a Taliban ambush near Kabul left 10 of its soldiers dead and 21 wounded in the worst single-day death toll for the French military in 25 years. President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose Afghan policy defies decades of French hostility toward NATO combat missions, said the heavy losses would not weaken his resolve to ‘pursue the battle against terrorism.’ … The French paratroopers were on a reconnaissance mission with U.S. Special Forces operatives and the Afghan National Army when they were ambushed in a strategic valley in the Sarobi district, about 50 kilometres northeast of the capital, Kabul. While details of the battle were sketchy, French Defence Minister Herve Morin said that about 100 heavily armed Taliban fighters attacked the tank column late Monday, setting off three hours of fierce fighting and clashes that continued overnight.” (08/20/08)