UK soldier killed in Afghanistan

17 July 2011 Last updated at 06:15 GMT The British soldier had been on a routine patrol in southern Afghanistan when he was killed A British soldier from 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) has been killed in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has said.

The soldier, who was in the Brigade Advisory Group, died on Saturday. His next of kin have been informed.

He was on a patrol with Afghan soldiers in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand Province when his team was fired on.

A report that the fatal gunshot was fired by an Afghan National Army soldier is being investigated.

It is not yet clear whether the Afghan man was a genuine member of the army or an insurgent posing as a soldier.

The British soldier, who has not yet been named, was tracking the progress of a foot patrol from his vehicle. The foot patrol was returning to the vehicle when both teams came under small arms fire.

The incident comes as the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) prepares to hand over control of some security operations to Afghan troops.

Task Force Helmand spokesman Lt Col Tim Purbrick, said: "A report that the fatal gunshot was fired by an Afghan National Army soldier is now the subject of a joint International Security Assistance Force and Afghan National Security Force investigation.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the soldier's family and friends."

The Afghan army has strict security screening procedures for its recruits, but there have been several incidents in which its personnel have fired on foreign soldiers.

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Journalists freed in Afghanistan

29 June 2011 Last updated at 14:51 GMT France saw a campaign for the journalists' release Two French journalists abducted in Afghanistan 18 months ago have been released, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced.

Herve Ghesquiere and Stephane Taponier were freed along with their interpreter, Reza Din, Mr Sarkozy said in a statement in Paris.

They are reportedly now at a French base in north-eastern Afghanistan.

Expressing delight, Mr Sarkozy thanked Afghan President Hamid Karzai for his handling of the hostage situation.

Prime Minister Francois Fillon told the French parliament the freed Frenchmen were at the Tagab base in Kapisa province.

They were "in good health" and would be back on French soil "in a few hours", he said.

There was no immediate word about two other Afghans who were abducted along with the three men released.

The Frenchmen, who were working for France 3 television, were abducted on 30 December 2009 in Kapisa, about 60km (37 miles) from the Afghan capital, Kabul.

They were kidnapped by Taliban insurgents, AFP news agency reports.

The first anniversary of their abduction was marked by vigils in France, where their photos were projected on to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

Campaigning group Reporters Without Borders had called on President Sarkozy to make their case a "national priority".

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Afghanistan

15 March 2011 Last updated at 14:05 GMT Landlocked and mountainous, Afghanistan has suffered from such chronic instability and conflict during its modern history that its economy and infrastructure are in ruins, and many of its people are refugees.

Since the fall of the Taliban administration in 2001, adherents of the hard-line Islamic movement have re-grouped.

It is now a resurgent force, particularly in the south and east, and the Afghan government has struggled to extend its authority beyond the capital and to forge national unity.

Its strategic position sandwiched between the Middle East, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent along the ancient "Silk Route" means that Afghanistan has long been fought over - despite its rugged and forbidding terrain.

Great Game

It was at the centre of the so-called "Great Game" in the 19th century when Imperial Russia and the British Empire in India vied for influence.

And it became a key Cold War battleground after thousands of Soviet troops intervened in 1979 to prop up a pro-communist regime, leading to a major confrontation that drew in the US and Afghanistan's neighbours.

But the outside world eventually lost interest after the withdrawal of Soviet forces, while the country's protracted civil war dragged on.

Continue reading the main story Afghanistan has been torn by conflict for decadesForeign troops are trying to prop up a government said to have little control outside the capitalThe Taliban - who were ousted by a US-led invasion - want to restore strict Islamic rule and have been making a come-backThe emergence of the Taliban - originally a group of Islamic scholars - brought at least a measure of stability after nearly two decades of conflict.

But their extreme version of Islam attracted widespread criticism.

The Taliban - drawn from the largest ethnic group, the Pashtuns - were opposed by an alliance of factions drawn mainly from Afghanistan's other communities and based in the north.

In control of about 90% of Afghanistan until late 2001, the Taliban were recognised as the legitimate government by only three countries.

They were at loggerheads with the international community over the presence on their soil of Osama bin Laden, accused by the US of masterminding the bombing of their embassies in Africa in 1998 and the attacks on the US on 11 September 2001.

After the Taliban's refusal to hand over bin Laden, the US initiated aerial attacks in October 2001, paving the way for opposition groups to drive them from power.

Infighting between local commanders over power and territory became a feature of the post-Taliban period. The authorities in Kabul have been able to exert little control beyond the capital and militant violence has continued.

Predictions of the Taliban's demise after the adoption of a new Afghan constitution in 2004 proved to be premature - the hard-line group came back with a vengeance and violence has risen steadily to levels not seen since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

Drugs trade

The Afghan conflict replaced Iraq as the main policy headache for the US and their allies, and in March 2009 US President Barack Obama unveiled a new American strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan to combat what he called an increasingly perilous situation.

In December, this was followed by an order boosting US troops numbers by 30,000, as well as a pledge to begin withdrawing forces by 2011.

Afghanistan's drugs industry was reported to make up more than half of the economy by 2007, having boomed since the fall of the Taliban. The country supplies over 90% of the world's opium, the raw ingredient of heroin.

International bodies and governments say the drugs trade is helping to fuel the Taliban insurgency, which is estimated to receive up to US$100m a year from the trade.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime has called on Afghanistan to target the major traffickers and corrupt government officials, who it says operate with impunity in the country.

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