The first French soldiers in the international peacekeeping force for Afghanistan arrived this morning at Bagram air base north of the capital Kabul, a French military source said.
The contingent, which will be based in Kabul, comprised mainly engineers who have come to prepare the way for the main deployment, the French official said.
Colonel Denis Reumaux told said a total of 21 French troops were expected to arrive in two batches from Dushanbe, in neighbouring Tajikistan.
In the Kabul, a reconnaissance team from 12 nations contributing to an international security force that will work with the interim government in the city arrived this morning to assess the needs on the ground.
Elsewhere in Afghanistan, US-backed Afghan forces vying for the honour of capturing fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar gathered in the south of the country to march on a mountain village where he was believed to be.
AFP and