French occupation soldier was killed in Afghanistan, taking the death toll of troops to be killed this year in the war-torn country to 53.

French occupation soldier was killed and two other soldiers were injured Saturday in an attack in northeast Afghanistan, taking the death toll of  troops to be killed this year in the war-torn country to 53.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s office said that the killed soldier was the 54th French soldier to be killed in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion in 2001.
The attack took place in the early evening of Saturday in the Alasay valley in Kapisa province, when  a column of armored vehicles was attacked by militants, the office added in a communique.

Around 4,000 French soldiers are currently deployed as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, which numbers around 150,000.

A record 711 foreign occupation troops was killed in the country in 2010, making it the deadliest year for them since the invasion.