U.S. Special Forces aid French anti-Taliban ops

U.S. Special Forces aid French anti-Taliban ops
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Dec 17, 2009 17:58:09 EST

PARIS — Some 800 French Legionnaires backed by 200 U.S. special forces and Afghan soldiers have gone on an offensive in a valley in Afghanistan where the Taliban killed 10 French soldiers last year, the French military said Thursday.

Spokesman Rear Adm. Christophe Prazuck said several American soldiers were wounded in the operation in the Uzbin Valley east of Kabul. He had no information on the number of wounded, but said the American special forces were posted on a crest of the valley and were targeted from a neighboring valley.

Prazuck called the operation that began Wednesday night a success.

"The objective was to go into a place where nobody has ever been before," Prazuck said by telephone. The operation aimed "to show these insurgents that we can go where we want when we want," Prazuck said.

Coalition forces were withdrawing Thursday night. "The goal was achieved," he said.


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