Four French soldiers were shot dead and 16 were wounded by a member of the Afghan army in eastern Afghanistan on Friday.

Four French soldiers were shot dead and 16 were wounded by a member of the Afghan army in eastern Afghanistan on Friday, a NATO spokesman and Afghan officials said.

A spokesman for NATO forces said four NATO troops were killed and the shooter had been arrested, but did not give the nationality of the troops.

Later Friday, France suspended all training and joint operations in Afghanistan and President Nicolas Sarkozy said he was mulling an early withdrawal.

"The French army is alongside its allies but we cannot accept that a single one of our soldiers be wounded or killed by our allies, it's unacceptable," Sarkozy said.

He dispatched Defense Minister Gerard Longuet to Afghanistan.

Foreign Minister Alain Juppe also said that France wants "credible assurances" about Afghan recruits or the withdrawal of French troops will be accelerated.