U.S. and French troops celebrate Christmas in Afghanistan Dec 24 2010.

Dozens of U.S. and French soldiers kicked off their Christmas celebrations on Friday (December 24) at their base in Afghanistan.

Troops were treated to a guest appearance by Santa Claus and attended carol singing events at Camp Phoenix in the Afghani capital of Kabul.

U.S solider Tashie Moore talked to Reuters as she joined her colleagues for a special meal to mark the Christmas celebration.

"Kind of sad to be away from home on Christmas but happy that we could be here and doing our job in and our mission and I am here with my boyfriend and his little brother so we have some family here," said Moore.

The U.S.-led effort in the region continues to face many challenges as the United States and its allies try to prepare Afghanistan to take over its own security by 2014.

"Our feelings, here at Christmas, in Afghanistan, the predominant feeling is that we are here to help the Afghan people to be self-sufficient and autonomous. Here, in this Christmas evening, it takes on a very special meaning because we think about our families and we also think about the Afghan families and we wish that, in the years to come, that they will live in peace, in peace, that they may be able to educate their children," French Colonel Vasseur Epidote told Reuters after a candle-lit ceremony to mark Christmas.

A war strategy review released by U.S. President Barack Obama last week found U.S. and NATO forces were making headway against the Taliban and al Qaeda but serious challenges remain. The report said the Taliban's momentum had been arrested in much of Afghanistan and reversed in some areas.

Seven-hundred foreign troops were killed in 2010 as of December 19, by far the deadliest year of the war since the Taliban were toppled in 2001.

The Taliban are at their strongest since the Islamist regime were ousted by U.S.-backed Afghan forces after the regime refused to hand over al Qaeda militants, including Osama bin Laden, after the September 11 al Qaeda attacks on the United States.

The insurgency has spread out of its traditional strongholds in the south and east over the past two years into once peaceful areas of the north and west. NATO leaders agreed at a summit in Lisbon last month to end combat operations and hand security responsibility to Afghan forces by the end of 2014.

Obama has promised to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from July 2011.

But critics say the 2014 target set by President Hamid Karzai is too ambitious -- and with shortcomings in Afghanistan's security forces, setting a target to begin withdrawing troops only emboldens the insurgents.

ENDS

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• U
• S
• and
• French
• troops
• celebrate
• Christmas
• in
• Afghanistan
• Dec
• 24
• 2010

[tamrlane420]

zionists/crusader thugs.

[dubyamoney]

Fat old white guy who loves to creep into little children's bedrooms with presents!!! yeah - Pedo for sure!!!

[pugster6837]

Who would dislike this?

[anasthase100]

.

Des bouffons ...

.

[TheIceman567]

@iranigirl100 and That's okay!

[iranigirl100]

NOW AFGHANISTAN

CHRISTIAN CONTRY

BEFORE WAS PERSIAN

BUT NOW CHRIST

[Diemorder]

:) santa needs to eat more