French soldier dies in eastern Afghanistan - 22 March 2012

A French soldier has died of non-battle injuries in Afghanistan's northeastern province of Kapisa.

Afghan sources told Press TV that the soldier died of non-combat related injuries in Kapisa province, located some 800 kilometers (497 miles) northeast of the country's capital Kabul, on Thursday 22nd March 2012.

The French government has not yet confirmed the incident. More information to follow.

French soldier killed in 'friendly fire' incident

France's Defence Ministry says a French soldier in Afghanistan has died after he was accidentally shot by another French soldier.

It took place early Monday (11th July) as a convoy of armoured vehicles was entering a base in Afghanistan's eastern Tagab region. The convoy was returning from an operation.

The soldier was evacuated to a military hospital in Kabul, where he died.

Update: soldier identified as Brigadier Clement Kovac

Two French soldiers killed Afghanistan 10 June 2011

French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet said in a statement on Friday that a flight lieutenant died of his injuries after a Gazelle helicopter crashed about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Bagram in northern Afghanistan.

The pilot of the helicopter was seriously injured, the statement added.

Another French soldier fatally wounded himself with his own gun while going back to Tagab base in the northeast following a mission on the same day.

Update: helicopter pilot Lieutenant Matthieu Gaudin and Caporal-chef Lionel Chevalier

Master Corporal Guillaume Nunes-Patego

30 year old French Army Master Corporal Guillaume Nunes-Patego, was killed in action on 1st June 2011, in a gun battle with enemy forces in Kapisa province.

M-Cpl. Nunes-Patego, on his second deployment to Afghanistan, was on a reconnaissance mission near the village of Shinza when his unit came under fire.

M-Cpl. Nunes-Patego had previously served in Yugoslavia and Gabon.

French Army Pfc. Loic Roperh

French Army engineer, Private 1st Class Loic Roperh, was killed on 10th May 2011 in the Tagab valley, Kapisa province while engaged in a mine clearing operation.

The 24 year old soldier joined the 13th Engineer Regiment in March 2009 and gained his combat engineer qualification in December 2010. He deployed to Afghanistan on 3rd April 2011.

Pfc. Roperh is the 57th French soldier to die in Afghanistan. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star.

French soldier, CWO Bruno Fauquembergue

Bruno Fauquembergue

French soldier, CWO Bruno Fauquembergue, died in Kabul on 24th February 2011.

The 42 year old Chief Warrant Officer was attached to the French Land Forces Command (LFC) in Kabul. His death is not combat related.

In a career spanning 24 years with the French Military, CWO Fauquembergue served in many of the world's hot spots, including Cote d'Ivoire, Kosovo, Bosnia and Iraq.

The exact cause of his death is still being investigated.

He leaves a wife and two children.

French soldier, Clement Chamarier

Clement Chamarier

The French soldier killed in an insurgent rocket attack, 19th February 2011, has been named by the French Defence Ministry as Clement Chamarier, a 19yo soldier serving with the 7th Battalion of Chasseurs Alpine. He was a tank gunner.

He was travelling in a French army convoy between Tagab and Nijrab when insurgents opened fire on them. A rocket hit the vehicle he was in, but it was able to continue driving to a safe location. Medics at the scene were unable to save the young Alpine soldier.

It was his first overseas operation.

French soldier, Herve Guinaud

Hervé Guinaud

French Master Cpl Hervé Guinaud, age 42, was killed on January 8, 2011, in southern Kapisa, north-eastern Afghanistan when his armored vehicle was hit by an explosion.

Master Corporal Guinaud had arrived in Afghanistan last December. In 22 years of service, he also participated in numerous missions in Djibouti, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire.

Married and father of a child, Master Corporal Guinaud is the 53rd French soldier killed in Afghanistan since the deployment of French forces in late 2001. Military authorities described him as "remarkable and exemplary".

French Commando, Jonathan Lefort

French Commando, Jonathan Lefort , age 28, was killed on December 17, 2010, in Bedraou Valley, Kapisa, Afghanistan.

This was his third tour in Afghanistan.  Jonathan Lefort was born in 1982 in Pompey (Meurthe-et-Moselle), France. 

For his merits in combat, he received the Cross of Military Valour with Bronze Star and the Cross of the fighter. He became a paratrooper instructor. He was also awarded the Medal of National Defence, the Medal with Overseas clasp Republic of Ivory Coast, Medal of Recognition of the nation and the French Commemorative Medal with Clasp Afghanistan.

French Foreign Legionaire, Sergeant Benoit Dupin

French Sergeant Benoit Dupin, age 34, was killed on December 17, 2010, during a clash in Afghanistan. 

Sgt. Benoit Dupin

He was an officer in 2nd Foreign Regiment of Engineers (REG). Starting in 1997, he attended the National School of sub-active officers (ENSO) in Saint-Maixent. Appointed sergeant, he was assigned to the 2nd Marine Infantry Regiment (RIMA) after passing the School of Infantry and took part in several overseas operations as group leader. In 2002, he was admitted to the Combined Military Academy (EMIA). He was promoted to captain on 1 August 2008 and took command of the 3rd company of mechanized combat in June 2010, before leaving for Afghanistan last month.

Captain Benoit Dupin was posted to many overseas operations during his career (Bosnia, Kosovo, Djibouti, Chad). 

He was married with a young child.

French soldier, Thibault Miloche

Thibault Miloche from the 126th Brive infantry regiment was killed by rocket. A second 126e soldier was also wounded in the attack. 

The 126th Brive infantry regiment NCO was killed during a reconnaissance mission Valley Uzbin Afghanistan, East of Kabul. 

The soldier was hit by an RPG (Rocket Propelled Grenade) 14th October at around 5: 30 pm.
Seriously injured, he was evacuated to hospital in Kabul, but lost his life to the injuries he sustained on 15th October.

Thibault Miloche was 39 years old. He leaves a wife and two children in the Tarn-et-Garonne, France.

This brings to 50 the death toll in Afghanistan of French soldiers since 2001 in military operations, according to the Ministry of defence.

Sergeant Herve Enaux, French 35th Infantry, killed

Sergeant Herve Enaux

A French soldier serving in Afghanistan was killed when the armoured vehicle he was travelling in fell into a ravine, military officials said. The vehicle was carrying three French soldiers when it crashed on 30th August during an operation in the Uzbeen valley, conducted with Afghan and US troops, military headquarters in Paris said in a statement. 

All three were injured and one of them, Sergeant Herve Enaux of the 35th Infantry Regiment, died as he arrived by helicopter at the French military hospital in Kabul, it said. 

 

Two French Marines killed in gunfight

Marine Lt. Lorenzo Mezzasalma

French Marines Lieutenant Lorenzo Mezzasalma, age 43 and Corporal Jean-Nicolas Panezyck, age 25, were killed August 23, 2010, during an operation south of Tagab, Afghanistan. They died from gunshot wounds in a fierce battle with insurgents.

Corporal Jean-Nicolas Panezyck

The two men were assigned to the 21st Marine Infantry Regiment.

French Parachute Hussar officer killed

French Brigadier, Steeve COCOLI, 1st Parachute Hussar Regiment Tarbes, was killed and an Afghan civilian and seriously wounded an insurgent indirect fire that struck the position advanced combat (Combat outpost - COP ) Hutnik Tagab Valley in Kapisa. 

Steeve COCOLI, 1st Parachute Hussar

By early evening , an indirect fire hit the COP Hutnik where about 150 French soldiers deployed . A French military has been very seriously injured . An Afghan civilian working as an interpreter with the French forces , was also seriously injured .

The French military and Afghan civilian were evacuated by helicopter to the French military hospital in Kabul where the French military has succumbed to his injuries . He belonged to the 1st Parachute Hussar Regiment of Tarbes.

CATF Surobi and Afghan kandaks operate from forward combat positions ( COP - Combat outpost ) Hutnik ( formerly COP 46) and 51 which were built through the joint efforts of the brigade La Fayette , particularly the FT Altor which arms the CATF Surobi since January , and Afghan security forces of the 3rd Brigade.

French Legionnaire killed in RPG attack

French Foreign Legionnaire, Sergeant Konrad Rygiel member of the GCP unit of the 2nd REP was killed Monday, June 7, 2010 afternoon by shrapnel from a rocket fired by an RPG-7 in the province of Kapisa in Afghanistan.

French Captain, Christophe Barek-Deligny killed by IED

22nd May 2010: Captain Christophe Barek-Deligny, serving with the French 3rd Engineers Regiment, was killed in Afghanistan today by an improvised explosive device (IED) that blasted a vehicle he was in. Also killed in the same incident was a Corporal with the Dutch 42nd Armoured Infantry, Luc Janzen.

French Foreign Legionnaire killed in action

A legionnaire from the 2nd REP was killed on 8th of April 2010 in Afghanistan. His unit was engaged in support of the Afghan National Army, as part of building a post (COP) in the region Tagab in Kapissa when they were attacked by insurgents. The wounded legionnaire was evacuated to Kabul military hospital, but it did not survive his injuries.

Legionnaire, Robert Hutnik

The death brings to 41 the number of French soldiers killed in Afghanistan, including 21 in clashes.
The 1st Class Legionnaire is Robert Hutnik, 23, single, originally from Slovakia. He enlisted in the Foreign Legion in May 2007 and after the basic training he joined the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment. Afghanistan, where he served as a driver of VAB, was his second mission, after a stay in Gabon. He was assigned to 3rd Company, specializing in amphibious combat.

French soldier, Harouna Diop, killed by IED

French Sergeant 1st Class, Harouma Diop, serving with 517 Regiment du Trainand assigned to a French Operational Liaison Team was killed 13th January 2010, when his armored vehicle struck a roadside bomb while traveling in a joint Afghan-French logistics convoy from Bagram Air Base to Kapisa province, Afghanistan.

We have no photo of Harouma Diop. If anyone can help, please contact us

Two French soldiers killed by bomb attack

Sergeant Thomas Rousselle

Nicolas Sarkozy was Friday morning in Winnow in the Morbihan, for the homage ceremony of two French soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

Sergeant Thomas Rousselle, and Corporal Johann Naguin, both of them members of the 3rd Infantry Regiment, Navy Marines were killed by a bomb during a patrol to the northeast of Kabul, September 4th, 2009.

The honor Legion was awared to them posthumously during this homage. The two soldiers were equally promoted to a superior rank.

Corporal Johann Naguin

French Marine killed by bomb

Anthony Bodin

Corporal Anthony Bodin, 22, from the French 3rd Marine Infantry, was killed 1st August 2009 north-east of Kabul in an ambush by Afghan rebels.