Nicolas Sarkozy was on his way to Afghanistan on Tuesday night after Taliban fighters killed 10 French soldiers in fighting near Kabul, part of the heaviest death toll Nato forces have suffered in battle since the 2001 US-led invasion.

As the French soldiers were ambushed 40 miles from Kabul, Taliban fighters simultaneously attacked the second biggest US base in the country. Although no damage was caused at the Khost camp, it was the most audacious attack yet on a military base.