French troops kill Kabul gunman

French troops on patrol in Kabul

French troops have shot and killed a gunman in the Afghan capital, Kabul, the US military says.

Soldiers returned fire after the man shot at them with a handgun. He later died of his injuries, a statement said.

Neither of the French soldiers were wounded in the shoot-out outside a military compound in eastern Kabul.

The French troops are in Afghanistan as part of a 17,000-strong US-led international force hunting Taleban and al-Qaeda militants.

'Died of his injuries'

A US military statement said at least two bullets hit the soldiers' vehicle, as they left Camp Phoenix in Kabul, where troops from the US, France and other nations are stationed.

The two occupants of the car reported two to three bullet impacts on the car US military

US spokesman Maj Mark McCann said the man was an Afghan but had no further details.

He was flown to the main US base at Bagram, near Kabul, for treatment but died of his injuries, the military said.

Three soldiers from the Nato-led peacekeeping force have been killed in the capital so far this year.

In October a rare suicide bombing in Kabul killed an American woman and an Afghan girl.

Most violence continues to take place in the south and east, where Taleban and other militants are most active.