French defence minister arrives in Kabul

French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet arrived here today on a two-day visit to inspect the French troops in Afghanistan on the occasion of the New Year. During the visit Longuet will hold talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Afghan Defence Minister General Abdul Rahim Wardak. Longuet visit to Afghanistan comes two days after the killing of two French soldiers working with NATO forces in Afghanistan by a man wearing an Afghani army uniform of the Afghan in east Afghanistan. The deaths of these two dead men rose to 78 the number of French soldiers killed in Afghanistan since late 2001. France is deploying some 3,700 troops in Afghanistan, especially in the states of Kabul and Kapisa.(QNA) OM