Taliban issues fresh threat against French in Afghanistan

This week's edition of the French news magazine, Paris Match, which hit the stands on Thursday carries a story that has not surprisingly been making the headlines throughout this country's media.

In an interview with two journalists from the magazine, a commander of a faction of the Taliban forces in Afghanistan issues a warning not only to French troops serving there, but also this country's interests throughout the world.

The commander in question, referred to as "Farouki", is the one who reportedly led an ambush against French soldiers last month, killing 10 and injuring 21.

It was the biggest loss French troops have sustained since a bombing in Lebanon in 1983.

The two journalists from the magazine, Eric de Lavarène. and Véronique de Viguerie were given exclusive access to the leader, who revealed the events leading up to the attack and threatened similar strikes unless French troops were withdrawn from Afghanistan.

He said the soldiers had been warned by villagers several days before not to enter the area as it was known to be dangerous and one controlled by the Taliban.

"They didn't listen," he said. "So we attacked. That's legitimate defence."

Since the attack there have been suggestions in the media here in France that an interpreter working with the soldiers had somehow set a trap for them. But in the interview, Farouki rejects such claims and says that the ambush wasn't prepared a long time in advance.

"We were informed of the presence of foreign soldiers just before the ambush and we reacted immediately," he told Paris Match.

"We know the lie of the land very well. We have arms everywhere. And we were in position just before they arrived. 140 well trained fighters.

"If night hadn't fallen we would have killed them all."

He also denied rumours that have been circulating in the French press that some of the soldiers had been tortured before they were killed.

And he lay the blame for the attack fair and square on the shoulders of the US president George W. Bush and the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, saying foreign troops were not wanted on Afghan soil - "their territory" - and unless they left, the killing would continue.

There would also be no negotiations with the authorities in Kabul until there was complete withdrawal.

"With this attack we wanted to show the French troops that they should stop helping the Americans," he said.

"The next time they enter territory we control we'll attack again."

He also issued that warning about the continued presence of French soliders in particular in Afghanistan that could well have much of the French media once again questioning Sarkozy's decision to send additional troops to Afghanistan.

"We'll attack French interests throughout the world. We have the means. We're not just alone here isolated in the mountains.

"We'll continue to defend our country to the end. To destroy our movement it'll be necessary to kill us all. And believe me there are a lot of us."

There are around 2,600 French troops stationed in Afghanistan and plans to send another 700.

On a visit to Kabul shortly after the attack, Sarkozy confirmed his commitment to the 40-nation "mission" in Afghanistan.