French soldier hurt in Kabul airport gun fight

A French soldier serving with the multinational security operation in Afghanistan was injured in a brief gun fight at Kabul's…

A French soldier serving with the multinational security operation in Afghanistan was injured in a brief gun fight at Kabul's international airport, an official said today.

The soldier was hit in the leg in the incident at sunset last night but was not seriously injured.

"During the short exchange of fire a French soldier was slightly injured in the leg by a fragment of something," he said. "It was not a direct gunshot wound."

Kabul's international airport was the scene of a massive security operation on Thursday for the arrival of former Afghan king Mohammed Zahir Shah.

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The bomb-scarred facility was swarming with heavily armed Afghan police in riot gear along with British, French and German troops backed by dogs and armoured personnel carriers.

The 87-year-old king, who was returning after 29 years in exile in Italy, has since been installed in a heavily-protected house in Kabul's city centre.

AFP