“The French army is standing next to its allies, but we cannot accept that even one of our soldiers be killed or wounded by our allies,” said Sarkozy, according to the TF1 television station. “It is unacceptable. I will not accept it,” he said.

The attack occurred just hours after military officials reported the helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan. NATO said the cause of the crash was under investigation and that initial reports indicated there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the crash. Taliban officials claimed responsibility for the attack.

The shooting Friday marked the second time in less than a month that French soldiers have been killed by Afghans wearing army uniforms. Two French Foreign Legion troopers were shot and killed Dec. 29 in a mountainous area of Kapisa province, northeast of Kabul. That shooter was immediately gunned down by other French soldiers.