Four foreign soldiers killed in Afghan east

Insurgents in Afghanistan killed four foreign soldiers on Saturday, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a statement, as violence escalates across the country.   

ISAF did not give any details of the incident or the nationalities of the soldiers involved, but Afghan officials said the incident happened in the eastern province of Kapisa, which is mainly patrolled by a French contingent under NATO.   

"I am aware of a suicide attack on French troops in Kapisa but I don't know the number of casualties," Abdul Rahman, the provincial police chief, said. He said it occurred in Nijrab district of the mountainous province.   

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.   

Violence has surged across Afghanistan in recent weeks with the Taliban vowing to target the Afghan government and security forces, as well as the 130,000 foreign troops in the country, most of whom are due to leave by the end of 2014.   

France plans to withdraw most of its roughly 3,400 troops by the end of this year, two years ahead of the timetable agreed by NATO. French troops have suffered a series of attacks including several by rogue Afghan soldiers, triggering demands for the troops to be brought home early.  

Reuters