France mulls Afghan exit after unarmed troops 'murdered'

PARIS: President Nicolas Sarkozy has warned he may accelerate the French withdrawal from Afghanistan after an Afghan soldier shot dead four unarmed French troops during a sports session inside a base.

Sarkozy suspended French military training and joint combat operations with Afghan troops, and sent Defence Minister Gerard Longuet to probe Friday's attack in which at least 15 French soldiers were also wounded, eight seriously.

"The French were finishing their sports' session," a security official in Afghanistan told.

"The soldiers had no protection. They couldn't defend themselves. He opened fire on the group. Then they overcame him."

Longuet described the attack as "murder".

"They were not armed. They were literally murdered by an Afghan soldier. We don't yet know if it was a Taliban who infiltrated or if it was someone who decided to act for reasons as yet unknown," Longuet said.

The French role in the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan was already deeply unpopular at home and - less than 100 days before presidential elections - Sarkozy appeared to be preparing the ground for a rapid withdrawal. (AFP)