France/Afghanistan

Warlord claims French ambush

Article published on the 2008-09-29 Latest update 2008-09-29 14:07 TU

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
(Photo: AFP)

Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has claimed responsibility for the August attack in which French soldiers died. In a video message sent to the independent Pajhwok Afghan News agency, Hekmatyar claimed to have lost ten members of his Hezb-I-Islami group in the confrontation.

Pajhwok says that the video was delivered to its office in the Pakistani city of Peshawar on Sunday.

In it, Hekmatyar warns of "more guerrilla assaults on US forces besides the French soldiers". He names nine of his fighters killed in the fighting and expresses condolences to their families, the news agency said.

He also called on "anti-foreign forces" to stop using mobile and satellite phones during combat.

The Taliban earlier claimed responsibility but correspondent Bronwen Roberts say that Hekmatyar's claim is credible.

"Even though the Taliban did claim responsibility for the attack in Sarobi," she told RFI. "Hekmatyar would probably operate in more that area, since he tends to operate in northern Afghanistan."

Hekmatyar has proposed alliances with the Taliban but they have publicly rejected the idea. It is unclear whether the rebels co-operate on some level.

French officers have said that their soldiers were ambushed by about 179 rebels and that they killed between 40 and 70 of them, although they only recovered one body.

Hekmatyar, who is now on the Nato-led forces' most-wanted list, was briefly prime minister of Afghanistan twice during the 1990s, after US-backed mojahaeddin forces toppled the Soviet-backed government.

He is notorious for his frequent changes of alliance, having received finance and help from the US's CIA, Pakistan's Inter-services Intelligence agency and now, alegedly, Al-Qaeda.