The defence minister paid tribute on Saturday to four soldiers attacked on Friday in Valence (Drôme) …
A “coolness and a know-how acquired on overseas theatres”. The French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said today, Saturday praising the mastery and experience of the four French soldiers attacked Friday in front of the great mosque of Valence.
“I want to pay tribute to these soldiers and especially to Roland, 1st class of the 93rd Mountain Artillery Regiment of Varces (Isère) who is injured,” said the minister on the sidelines of a tour with New Year Soldiers deployed in the Middle East.
He praised the soldier for his “mastery of fire use”. “This experience gained because of operations in various theatres of war,” said Jean-Yves Le Drian. The 93rd Mountain Artillery Regiment of Varces has been deployed in Afghanistan and Djibouti.
[Communiqué] @BCazeneuve et @JY_LeDrian expriment leur soutien aux militaires visés par un conducteur à Valence pic.twitter.com/6Vh3ss6dqa
— Ministère Intérieur (@Place_Beauvau) January 1, 2016
For still unknown reasons
The Minister has however made no comment on the motives of the assailant or the circumstances of the attack. “I want justice to take its course,” he said.
#Valence: vidéo amateur de l’attaque devant la grande mosquée https://t.co/zT0L8RxrwQ #AFP pic.twitter.com/ZomkVwn2P1
— Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) January 2, 2016
One of the soldiers was hit by the vehicle to a knee and tibia. An elderly worshipper was also slightly injured in the leg by a stray bullet.
The military targeted
According to the secretary general of the prefecture, quoted by Le Parisien, at this stage of the investigation, “the target of the driver seems to have been at the military strength of the Sentinel force deployed and not the faithful of the mosque”
A version that seems to share the imam of the mosque in Valence In a statement posted on his blog, the imam Abdallah condemned the attacks on the military: “The leaders and faithful of the mosque of Valence are deeply shocked by this act . The device and the soldiers responsible for protecting the mosque are appreciated faithful and we condemn with the utmost firmness the attack against those whose mission is to ensure our security, “he wrote. “Pending the results of the investigation starts, we wish to reaffirm that this act, despite its severity, will not erode our resolve to promote living together, as we have always done,” he continues.
