The classroom wasn’t the first place we had had sex. The first place was actually a garden on campus. “The secret garden,” as it is known by most, though there wasn’t really anything secret about it. It just happened to be surrounded by a building and accessible by a limited number of entries. From there: the Library, multiple times, the roof of the life-science building, my car, her car, my bed, her best friend Pamela’s bed, and eventually her bed. The same bed that her husband would sleep in, though; at the time he was at a baseball game.

Terrah was 30-years-old. She was skinny with dark hair and breast implants. She never had a bra on, and always wore a shirt with thin material making it easy to identify her erect nipples, even from a distance.

For the first few weeks of class she wore a very large wedding ring, which, conveniently, disappeared around same time she told me that her and her husband were in an open relationship. “I do what I want, and he does what he wants,” she said. “It’s a perfect situation.” That piece of information came right after a class on Munro’s “How I Met My Husband.” I had made some comments in class about girls being crazy and not ever knowing what they want. After class, she inquired about whether or not I would ever get married. I told that I didn’t really see the point. I said something about humans being animals and all we really want to do is have sex and survive, and that current society has outgrown the necessity for marriage. I told her that I just wanted to have multiple girlfriends and be free to do whatever I want, and she bought it.

It was at that point that our conversations were no longer about class, but about my personal life. “How does that work out for you?” she asked, about my theories on multiple girlfriends. “Pretty good, until the girls get clingy and fall in love, then I just have to cut them loose.” She was curious about how I was able to pull it off without lying. I told her that it’s pretty easy as long as a couple of ground rules are established.

Rule #1: When we are together, we are together. I wont hit on other girls in front of you, as long as you don’t hit on guys in front of me. When we go somewhere together, we leave together.

Rule #2: Don’t fuck any of my friends or relatives, and I’ll do the same for you.

I had always wondered how Terrah was able to stay out until early hours of the morning with the excuse that she’s “studying,” without her husband being suspicious. I knew he must be suspicious because I knew that she had lied to me when she said they were in an open relationship. It was obvious, but she just told me that she did whatever she wanted and he just never questioned it.

I didn’t even feel bad for the guy. I thought about being a rich man in my 50s and meeting a hot young girl on the Internet that wanted to marry me. I thought about that hypothetical girl meeting some broke college punk with weird ideas who just happened to have enough confidence to sell them, however unsound they were. I knew where I would focus the blame if I were in that situation.

That was my justification and it worked. Terrah was going to cheat. Whether it was with me or some other guy, it was going to happen. I don’t posses any special abilities. I’m not even special. I am human and I like sex, so I just took advantage of a situation. Light the fuel. Watch it burn. Appreciate the beauty.

Terrah’s friend Pamela was skinny and blonde. She lived in Scottsdale and didn’t like the Tempe bar scene because it made her feel old. She had a small chest, but an ass that made up for it and she was tall with long legs. Terrah would tell her husband that she was hanging out with Pamela, which wasn’t usually a lie because whenever Terrah and I were off campus together, Pamela was there. Those nights usually consisted of Terrah and me sleeping in Pamela’s bed, while she slept on the couch and complained the next morning about not being able to sleep because of the noise we made. This scenario went on for a couple of months.

After a while Terrah’s friend AJ started moving in on her, but I didn’t care. I really did believe my own dogma, and to a point, I still kind of do. Life is short, do what makes you happy and have fun, time will always fix the repercussions.

Eventually we (Terrah, Pamela, AJ, Me, and some guy who Pamela worked for that had a lot of money) all ended up at Oktoberfest in Tempe, even though Pamela didn’t like the town. The lines to get beer were just as long as the lines for the restrooms. In order to get drunk and not piss yourself required near-perfect organizational skills, which none of us had. And while nobody pissed themselves, nobody got drunk either.

AJ followed Terrah around like a dog, getting her whatever she wanted whenever she wanted it. I noticed that when Terrah was standing next to me, AJ would be standing next to her, but it seemed like he made it a point to be closer to her than she was to me, which only made things awkward. He finally succeeded at isolating Terrah and getting lost when I took some time to talk to some friends I had run into. She eventually went home with him after nobody knew where anybody was.

Just as I was about to call a cab, I got a message on my phone from Pamela telling me to go to a bar called Zuma, where the rich guy had apparently bought the VIP area and a few bottles of Vodka. I wasn’t sure how, or when, Pamela had gotten my number, but I didn’t really care, I was just pissed that Terrah went home with AJ, blatantly break rule #1.

The rigorous consumption of free alcohol made the details of the rest of the night foggy, leaving only small flashes of detail in my memory. I remember bombarding Pamela with the same theories that had intrigued Terrah a few months earlier, and I also remember her buying them. “I don’t want a boyfriend either,” she said. “I just want to have fun.” Throughout the night, I noticed, that she always seemed find a way to sit next to me, stand next to me, and make sure my drink was filled.

There is flash of me telling Pamela she should come home with me, followed by a flash her of grabbing my hand and putting me into a cab with her, though I don’t quite recall the time difference between the two. She told me that if I didn’t smoke in the cab she would pay for it, otherwise I would have to. I didn’t smoke, and because she paid, we ended up at her house whereher roommate was home with a few people who had just come back from drinking and were all in the same condition as me.

There was some kind of group meditation session, which strangely, I was leading. It involved some girls and me sitting on the floor in a circle, holding hands, while I told them how they should be breathing and what they should be thinking about in order to relax. Though it would be nice to take credit for that one, I really don’t believe it was my idea. Eventually I remember Pamela and I naked in her bed, the door to her room still open. I remember sweat, moaning and the occasional scream, and when someone would peer through the door I remember Pamela yelling at them. “I’m fine, get the fuck out!”

The next morning we both woke up with bruises and bite marks. At one point I had hit my hand on the ceiling fan above her bed, which probably did more damage to my hand than I thought, because it didn’t feel normal again for a few of months. Looking back now, I don’t even remember which hand it was.

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President Lobo promised Mr Zelaya safe passage

Deposed Honduran leader Manuel Zelaya has flown into exile, ending seven months of turmoil in the country.

Hundreds of supporters, many waving flags, saw him off at the airport, live pictures from Telesur TV showed.

His departure marks the end of efforts to return to office after soldiers forced him into exile at gunpoint on 28 June over a constitutional dispute.

Earlier, the newly-elected Honduran President, Porfirio Lobo, promised him safe passage to the Dominican Republic.

Under a deal struck by the two men, Mr Zelaya agreed to fly to exile as a way to avoid prosecution in Honduras on charges he violated the constitution while in office.

Mr Lobo said the measure – first proposed months ago in failed mediation talks in Costa Rica – was needed as part of a process of reconciliation.

Fond farewell

Mr Zelaya boarded a plane, reported to be the official jet of Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez, hours after Mr Lobo was sworn in as president.

He was taken to the airport in a convoy of around 15 vehicles, accompanied by the two leaders.

“See you later Papa Mel. God bless you,” read a placard carried by one supporter, using Mr Zelaya’s nickname.

He has spent the last four months sheltering in the Brazilian embassy, after returning in secret in September.

His June ousting provoked international condemnation but diplomatic attempts to persuade the interim government to allow Mr Zelaya to return to office proved futile.

With opinion divided in Honduras and internationally, several nations have refused to recognise the legitimacy of the November election, in which Mr Lobo defeated Mr Zelaya.

Mr Lobo’s first act upon taking office was to sign a decree giving amnesty to the soldiers, politicians and judges who brought about the June ousting.

Mr Zelaya was removed amid a dispute over his plans to hold a vote on whether a constituent assembly should be set up to look at rewriting the constitution.

His critics said the vote, which was ruled illegal by the Supreme Court, aimed to remove the current one-term limit on serving as president and pave the way for his possible re-election.

Mr Zelaya repeatedly said he had no interest in staying in power but wanted to rewrite an outdated constitution to guarantee fairer representation for all Hondurans.

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President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union speech on Wednesday.

His national address, the first of his presidency, comes amid widespread criticism of his performance so far, falling approval ratings, and with the Republicans still in upbeat mood after winning the Massachusetts’ Senate seat a week ago.

In his speech, Mr Obama will need to convince the nation that he has the right policies to deal with the most pressing issues, and that he is steering the country in the right direction.

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My Eyes are Open

People were wandering around the chapel, looking for their usual spots, handing out the occasional glare when they noticed that somebody was sitting in, what they felt was, the pew that belonged to them. Not for any other reason than, week after week, they sat in that very pew. A number of scowls were directed at me. Husbands and wives would then herd their children into pews, usually behind the one they felt claim to, each sitting on opposite sides with said children in between them as a means to castigate more efficiently.

After what felt like an absurd amount of time, everyone was sitting, but the chatter volume hadn’t changed. Kids were crying, parents were attempting to whisper as they yelled at their children, and adolescent boys and girls were talking to one another without even attempting to lower their voices. Somewhere in the background noise was the sound of an organ playing well-known church hymns many octaves too low.

I was in a place I hadn’t been in years. For a reason my mother thought, I was told later, was “a good reason to get Reed back to church.” My older sister’s baby was being blessed which, apparently, was a family event and a not-so-discreet attempt at re-conversion.

A man with a suit finally stood up at the podium, oblivious to the congregation noise which barely subsided, as children continued to cry, and parents still attempted to reprimand them in whispers, only now were also attempting the same on their adolescent kids with harsher, slightly louder voices.

After a few announcements, the man at the podium sat down and a blonde woman walked up from the congregation. Her face was white, which contended against her bright red lipstick and her expression showed a mixture of nervousness and pride. She focused on every step, especially while ascending the three-step staircase leading to the platform where the podium was located, obviously aware of the number of eyes that were focused on her. Before reaching the podium, the sound of an electric motor echoed throughout the chapel as the podium lowered to the difference between her height and that of the man.

When she finally arrived to the podium, she folded her arms and began to pray. Parents in the congregation hurried to forcibly tie their children’s arms in to little knots, and press their heads down into a bowed position. The parents then stared at their children, eyes wide, and waited for the little ones to open their eyes, at which point harsh reprimands were handed out. At one point my mother, who was seated next to me, opened her eyes and glanced at me consciously restraining herself from whatever reprimand she was programmed to deliver.

After the prayer was given and the blonde woman carefully walked back to her seat, my brother-in-law walked up to the platform in front of the congregation, but not in front of the podium, with his new baby in his hands. His eyes scanned the crowd of people and stopped occasionally, making eye contact with specific individuals who then stood up and joined him on the platform, and when he made eye contact with me I caught a glimpse of disappointment as I was no longer allowed to participate in such rituals.

The men made a circle around the baby, all placing their hands on her head as a young boy with a shirt that was noticeably too big for him held a microphone in front of my brother-in-law’s mouth. As the blessing began, the baby’s cries did as well, and the lauder the baby cried, the lauder my brother-in-law spoke into the microphone so that the congregation could hear him.

He told the little baby to rely on prayer throughout her life. Told her to “talk to God,” and “listen to Him to talk back.”

I wondered if I had cried so many years ago when the same thing happened to me. I wondered if I was told to talk to God and listen. I remembered trying to talk to God when I was younger. I remember closing my eyes and waiting, always disappointed when He never talked back. I thought about my younger brother and all his psychological issues. I thought about all the medication he takes because he actually does hear voices.

As the blessing continued I looked over at my mother. Her eyes were closed.

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My own Road of thought to emotions and humanity

With the high dose of post-apocalyptic films being released in the recent years, the most obscure of them all is by far the most meaningful. Based on the novel with the same title by Cormac McCarthy, this adaptation holds true to the message that the book so eloquently portrayed. What happens to humanity when the world falls apart? Unlike most movies about the end of the world, “The Road” portrays a much more realistic, though much less desirable, depiction of what life would be like after a worldwide catastrophe. Cannibalism, rape, and starvation are all a much more plausible aspect to what life would indeed be like, as opposed to the glorified unity of humanity in the case of almost-total destruction.

The Road

Release: 2009

Runtime: 111 mins

Director: John Hillcoat

Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Robert Duvall, Charlize Theron

More on this Film

John Hillcoat directs this emotional journey of a father and his son and their travels to the coast. While on the surface the story is simply a couple of guys walking and searching for food, while avoiding thieves and cannibals, the deeper side of the film reveals so much more. The Father’s struggle for survival, contrasted with the Son’s struggle with humanity and compassion is, in essence, the very core of the human condition.

Only one character in the entire film is given a name, which doesn’t come until nearly the end. Ely, played by Robert Duvall, is an old man, barely surviving and is plagued with the same emotional struggle for humanity as the father. Ely tells the father that he hasn’t seen a child in years, and even calls the child “an Angel” at one point, alluding the fact that only children have the capacity to retain humanity in horrific times.

While the acting in the film is flawless, the very best aspect is in the writing. Even through the darkness and hopelessness of a ravaged world, the emotional portrayal of hope and humanity are put to the test, and it is through the writing that this metaphor is delivered.

The ending of the film is both tragic and hopeful at the same time, which left me both apathetic and anxious, at the same time. Even though I walked out of the theater to a beautiful warm afternoon, I had a sense of despair, which was disheartening. And although it may seem odd to compliment a movie for evoking these feelings, it is in fact, the reason why I am. Instead of walking out of the theater feeling like I just watched an hour and a half of cliche writing with a predictive, unrealistic ending, I actually got something from the film that I haven’t received from a film in quite a number of years. It made me rethink my own motivations.

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Antibiotic resistance is an increasing problem

Patients may have to be prescribed higher doses of antibiotics because of rising rates of obesity, say doctors.

The standard “one-size fits all” dose may not clear infection in larger adults and increases the risk that resistance will develop, they argue.

More work is needed to guide GPs on how and when to alter doses, an editorial in The Lancet to accompany the study by doctors from Greece and the US says.

GPs said it was an interesting theory but may end up being expensive.

Around one in four adults in England is classified as obese – an increase from 15% in 1993.

Patients are getting taller and larger and it does seem right that patients are given the appropriate strength of drug Professor Steve Field, Royal College of GPs

Given the fact people are getting larger, use of standard doses of antibiotics in all adults, regardless of size, is outdated, argue two doctors from Greece and the US.

Size and even the proportion of body fat a person has, can effect the concentration of antibiotics in the body, potentially reducing how effective they are in larger patients, they say.

And failure to clear an infection because too small a dose is given may raise the risk of resistance – already an increasing problem for doctors.

Likewise, smaller than average patients may get too much drug, and suffer greater side-effects as a consequence.

Guidance

An accompanying editorial said dose adjustments could easily be made if research was done to guide doctors in treating obese patients.

Professor Steve Field, chair of the Royal College of GPs said he would encourage “appropriate” antibiotic prescribing and lots of patients are given them unnecessarily.

But he added: “Patients are getting taller and larger and it does seem right that patients are given the appropriate strength of drug.

“However, this might cost a lot of money because pharmaceutical companies would have to provide different doses of medication.

“At the moment, most come in two strengths and we would not want to see an increase in costs.”

He added that GPs will already use their judgment to alter medication doses where necessary.

Professor Hugh Pennington, an expert in antibiotics from the University of Aberdeen, said antibiotics would differ in how size altered their effectiveness.

“But studies on this would not be hard to do.

“If you have too little of a drug it’s not going to be good for treating the infection but it also raises the possibility that the organism will become resistant.

“They’re such powerful drugs, we want to make sure we are using them properly.”

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BBC News – Haiti quake aid effort hampered by blockages.

Bottlenecks and infrastructure damage have been holding up aid efforts in Haiti, where a devastating earthquake has left as many as 45,000-50,000 dead.

Aid has been arriving from around the world, but there is little sign of help beyond the airport, correspondents say.

Many are spending a third night without shelter or in makeshift camps in the ruined capital, Port-au-Prince.

US President Barack Obama pledged a huge aid effort, but warned it would take time for help to reach people.

President Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, working with Brazil, Canada and other countries, will organise a conference on reconstruction in Haiti, the French presidency has announced.

‘Nothing coming’

But on the ground, correspondents said there was little immediate sign of a co-ordinated relief effort.

Planes queued to land at Haiti’s airport, while the port was too damaged to use. Roads were blocked by debris.

AT THE SCENE Andy Gallacher, BBC News, Port-au-Prince The extent of the devastation is almost impossible to calculate. Entire communities, schools and police stations are gone. Voices that were once being heard from inside the rubble have now fallen silent. Many people here have shown patience so far, but now the mood is changing. Some aid is trickling into the airport and some search and rescue teams are on the ground. But for so many Haitians this is too little too late. Haiti desperate for help

The BBC Andrew Callagher in Port-au-Prince says those that survived the massive earthquake are now dying in huge numbers, and clean water, food and medical supplies are desperately needed.

Bodies piled up on the streets and bulldozers were being used to remove the dead, and there were reports of mounting frustration and anger.

“We hear on the radio that rescue teams are coming from the outside, but nothing is coming,” said one man, Jean-Baptiste Lafontin Wilfried.

“We only have our fingers to look for survivors.”

The Red Cross estimates 45,000-50,000 people have died since Tuesday’s earthquake.

It estimates that, in total, up to three million people in Haiti have been affected.

Speaking in Washington on Thursday, Mr Obama said some US rescuers were already on the ground in Haiti and more were on their way.

He promised the country “every element of our national capacity, our diplomacy, and development assistance, the power of our military and most importantly, the compassion of our country” following the disaster.

“To the people of Haiti, we say clearly and with conviction, you will not be forsaken, you will not be forgotten,” he said.

Race against time

Mr Obama also promised an immediate $100m for Haiti’s relief effort and said that investment would grow over the coming year to aid long-term recovery.

The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and the USS Bataan, carrying a marine expeditionary unit, are on their way to Haiti.

They want us to provide them with help, which is, of course, what we want to do David Wimhurst UN spokesman Sleeping among the dead Haiti: How to help Picture: Haiti from the air

Gen Douglas Fraser, head of the US Southern Command, told reporters that logistics would be the key to providing relief and that US forces would strive to make Port-au-Prince’s port functional again.

The US Federal Aviation Authority earlier temporarily stopped civilian relief flights to Haiti at the Haitian government’s request because there was not enough space on the ground for more planes.

Aid groups say it is a race against time to find people trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings.

UN emergency relief co-ordinator John Holmes said local facilities were overwhelmed, while David Wimhurst, a spokesman for UN peacekeepers in Haiti, said patience among those waiting for aid was wearing thin.

“They want us to provide them with help, which is, of course, what we want to do,” he said.

But they see UN vehicles patrolling the streets to maintain calm, and not delivering aid, and “they’re slowly getting more angry and impatient,” he said.

To magnify this image of Port-au-Prince mouse over the left-hand panel A British rescue team with heavy lifting gear and dogs has reached Haiti. Other plane-loads of rescuers and relief supplies are being sent from China, the EU, Canada, Russia and Latin American nations. Cuba had more than 300 doctors in Haiti before the earthquake and they have been treating the injured in field hospitals. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who cancelled a trip to Asia to deal with the crisis, said Haiti’s recovery was “going to be a long-term effort”. The World Bank is funding $100m of emergency aid. The World Food Programme is working on supplying 15,000 tonnes of food and the Red Cross has begun a $10m appeal. Have you or your family been affected by the earthquake? Are you taking part in the relief effort? If you have any information you wish to share with the BBC you can do so using the form below: You can also send your pictures or videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk, text them to +44 7725 100 100 or if you have a large file you can upload here. Read the terms and conditions At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws.

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China has dismissed claims made by a British minister that it “hijacked” efforts to reach an agreement at the climate summit in Copenhagen.

Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband had accused China of vetoing two agreements on limiting emissions.

Beijing’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said the accusations were a political plot made by leaders who wanted to shirk their own obligations.

The summit ended without the 192 nations reaching a binding agreement.

The delegates simply committed to “taking note” of a deal recognising the need to limit temperature rises to 2C.

Jiang Yu did not mention Mr Miliband by name, but in comments reported by the Xinhua state news agency, she said statements from “certain British politicians” were “plainly a political scheme”.

The aim, she said, was “to shirk responsibilities that should be assumed towards developing countries, and to provoke discord among developing countries”.

“This scheme will come to nothing,” said Ms Jiang.

‘New beginning’

Writing in Britain’s Guardian newspaper on Sunday, Mr Miliband said the vast majority of countries wanted a legally-binding treaty to protect the planet, but it seemed that four or five countries at the summit had been keen to “shelve the accord”.

Copenhagen is not a destination but a new beginning Yang Jiechi China’s Foreign Minister Climate summit: Where’s the beef? Reaction in quotes Mardell’s America What do you think of the deal?

He said China had vetoed two proposed agreements on emissions cuts, “despite the support of a coalition of developed and the vast majority of developing countries”.

Ms Jiang said Mr Miliband and others behind the editorial should “correct their mistakes, fulfil their obligations to developing countries in an earnest way, and stay away from activities that hinder the international community’s co-operation in coping with climate change”.

The BBC’s Michael Bristow in Beijing says China believes it went to the talks in good faith and offering significant proposals, so does not want to be seen to be the cause of the failure to reach a more solid agreement.

China and other big developing countries have long accused the world’s richer economies of failing to offer big enough emissions cuts, and of not offering enough help to other nations struggling to cope with climate change.

On Monday, China’s Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi praised the summit, saying it had been “not a destination, but a new beginning”.

The final accord was reached between the US, China, India, Brazil and South Africa, but is not legally binding.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says the agreement must be made legally binding next year.

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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said a document apparently showing that Tehran plans to test a trigger for a nuclear bomb is a US forgery.

In an interview filmed on Friday with ABC News, Mr Ahmadinejad said the report in the Times newspaper was “fundamentally not true”.

Mr Ahmadinejad said criticism of Iran’s nuclear programme had become “a repetitive and tasteless joke”.

Iran says its nuclear enrichment programme is for peaceful purposes.

The BBC’s Jane O’Brien in Washington says the interview offered a rare opportunity to see an Iranian leader being questioned by the US media.

But Mr Ahmadinejad’s answers gave little indication that his administration is moving towards a more conciliatory position, says our correspondent.

‘Fabricated papers’

The Times reported last week that it had obtained a document, dating from 2007, describing a four-year plan by Iran to test a nuclear trigger using uranium deuteride.

The product can be used as a neutron initiator: the component of a nuclear bomb that triggers an explosion.

In his first public response to the report, Mr Ahmadinejad said the accusations were “fundamentally not true”.

He dismissed the documents, saying: “They are all a fabricated bunch of papers continuously being forged and disseminated by the American government.”

When asked if there would “be no nuclear weapon in Iran, ever”, Mr Ahmadinejad said his view was already known.

“You should say something only once. We have said once that we don’t want a nuclear bomb. We don’t accept it.”

‘Bullying’

Iran is already subject to three sets of UN sanctions for its refusal to suspend its uranium enrichment programme.

Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment plant (image: DigitalGlobe)

It is at risk of further sanctions after it rejected a deal to send low-enriched uranium abroad to be refined into fuel for a research reactor.

Mr Ahmadinejad said Iran would welcome talks “under fair conditions”.

“We don’t welcome confrontation, but we don’t surrender to bullying either,” he said.

“If you are saying you are going to impose sanctions, then go and do it.”

Mr Ahmadinejad also rejected criticism of Iran’s human rights situation and allegations of mass arrests following the elections which returned him to office in June.

“These things have to do with the judiciary. We have good laws. There is the judge. These people have got lawyers. These are not political questions.”

He said people in Iran had more freedom than in the US.

The ABC interview took place before the latest protests held at the funeral of the influential dissident cleric, Grand Ayatollah Montazeri.

Iran says its uranium enrichment programme is for purely peaceful purposes, aimed at generating electricity so that it can export more gas and oil.

But the US and its allies say it could be used to develop weapons.

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More than 1,100 troops have launched a major operation in Afghanistan’s eastern Uzbin Valley.

The force includes 800 French legionnaires, together with US and Afghan soldiers.

Ten French soldiers were killed in the area in August 2008 when they were ambushed by Taliban fighters.

A further 21 French troops were wounded, in one of the heaviest tolls suffered by the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf).

The operation is aimed at “reaffirming the sovereignty of Afghan security forces in the north of the Uzbin Valley”, Col Benoit Durieux of the French Foreign Legion told the AFP news agency.

The French have codenamed the offensive Septentrion. It follows weeks of negotiations with local villagers.

‘Demonstration of force’

Last year’s ambush was in the area of Sarobi, some 50km (30 miles) east of Kabul.

At the time it was seen as a warning that insurgents were closing in on the Afghan capital, and was thought to be the heaviest loss of life suffered by the French military since 58 paratroopers were killed in Beirut in 1983.

A French military spokesman said Thursday’s operation was a “demonstration of force… meant to assure the local population of our presence”.

The aim was to plant an Afghan flag in a strategic village in the Uzbin valley.

After several hours’ progress, they came under rocket-propelled grenade and heavy machine-gun fire from the insurgents, officials said.

The French responded with shell fire, backed up by French and US air support.

Five US troops were injured – three seriously – and evacuated by helicopter to Bagram air base.

The battle continued for around 90 minutes. A French spokesman said at least one Taliban fighter was killed and three injured.

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