Marking 100 years of Battle of Verdun

French President Francois Hollande (R) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel pay their respects in front of the Eternal Flame in the Douaumont Ossuary, France, during a remembrance ceremony to mark the centenary of the Battle of Verdun.

The Battle of Verdun, in 1916, was one of the bloodiest episodes of World War I. The battle took place on the hills north of Verdun-sur-Meuse in northeastern France. The offensive, which lasted 300 days, claimed more than 300,000 lives. AFP