French Mirage fighters conducted a fire mission as part of a US-led operation against Taliban militants in southeastern Afghanistan on Saturday, the French Defense Ministry said in a statement.

"On Saturday, Oct. 1, two air patrols of two Mirage FICR and two Mirage 2000 aircraft conducted a fire support mission in southeastern Afghanistan" to assist troops in the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom, the statement said.

"In cooperation with troops on the ground, the Mirages FICR and Mirages 2000 ... took part in an operation against the Taliban," it said.

The operation came one day before Afghan President Hamid Karzai was awaited in Paris for his first official visit to France and his first trip abroad since the Sept. 18 parliamentary election.

France has some 200 soldiers in Operation Enduring Freedom, in addition to 600 and six Mirage fighters stationed at an airbase in Tadjikistan taking part in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) peacekeepers.

Source: Xinhua