French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet arrived here today on a two-day surprise visit to Afghanistan to meet French troops ahead of the New Year.
Longuet will meet Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his Afghan counterpart Abdul Rahim Wardak.
The French Minister's visit comes two days after the death of two French Foreign Legion soldiers who were shot dead by a man wearing an Afghan army uniform in eastern Kapisa province.
He is due to attend a ceremony for the soldiers before their bodies were repatriated to France.
He will also meet briefly with US General John Allen, the commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, and visit troops in the field.
Thursday's incident took the death toll among French troops since the start of the war in 2001 to 78.

Source: BNA