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Photo released by French Army shows French NATO soldiers evacuating wounded from Tagab, Afghanistan, 16 Nov 2009Insurgents in eastern Afghanistan have fired rockets into a marketplace, killing 10 civilians in an area where French forces were meeting with tribal elders.
French and Afghan officials say Monday's attack in the town of Tagab in Kapisa province wounded at least 28 people. Two rockets hit the market as the commander of French troops in eastern Afghanistan, General Marcel Druart, was meeting tribal chiefs nearby.
French and U.S. medical teams evacuated the wounded by helicopter to hospitals for treatment. No French personnel were reported hurt.
The French commander attended the gathering of tribal elders, known as a "shura," as part of NATO efforts to win the trust of Afghan civilians in a region with a strong Taliban presence.
French troops have been fighting the Taliban northeast of the capital, Kabul, to try to secure towns and roads threatened by the militants.
In other violence, Afghan police say militants attacked a police checkpoint in the southern province of Kandahar early Monday, killing at least three officers and wounding several others. Authorities say they are searching for the attackers.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
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