Insurgent bomb hurts five Diggers
NICK BUTTERLYThe West Australian
Thursday, 18 March 2010 5:45AM
Camera IconInsurgent bomb hurts five Diggers Credit: The West Australian
Five Australian soldiers have been wounded in southern Afghanistan after their vehicle was hit by an insurgent bomb.
The soldiers were in a Bushmaster armoured vehicle carrying out a reconnaissance of a trail between two remote Australian forward operating bases in the Chora Valley when they were targeted by a large improvised explosive device on Tuesday.
_The West Australian _was at forward operating base Mirwais, the nearest base to the incident.
Australian forces quickly scrambled medivac helicopters to get the wounded back to the main Australian camp at Tarin Kowt. A joint patrol of Diggers and Afghan National Army troops were rushed to the scene of the attack to provide support.
A rapid reaction force of Afghan soldiers at Mirwais was put on alert to provide extra back-up if needed.
Three of the soldiers were said to have suffered very serious wounds, while the other two suffered only slight injuries.
The commander of Australian forces in Afghanistan, Maj-Gen. John Cantwell, said the more seriously injured Diggers had been evacuated to the specialist medical facility at Kandahar for treatment. All five were conscious and had called their families.
"They are now receiving the best medical care available," Maj-Gen. Cantwell said.
The attack was the third major incident in Australia's area of operation in the southern province of Oruzgan in two days.
On Monday, Australian forces were forced to call in an airstrike to destroy one of their Bushmasters after it was crippled by an IED strike. The same day, Australians operating in the Chora Valley came under rocket and machine-gun fire after they uncovered an insurgent bomb.
Mirwais base commander Maj. Justin Roderick said the second incident saw Australian troops exchange gunfire with insurgents for about 40 minutes.
Mirwais is the northern-most base in Australia's area of operations in Oruzgan. The camp also serves as a training facility for Afghan Army troops and as a trade and carpentry school for local villagers.
Maj. Roderick said Australian forces were coming into contact with insurgent fighters several times a week across the region. It ranged from the discovery of IED caches to gun battles and IED strikes.
He said the warming weather was allowing Taliban fighters to move around more freely at night.
Other Australian officers say Diggers have uncovered record numbers of IED caches over the past two months in the area. Australian planners are also predicting a big jump in the number of IED attacks on Australian troops over coming months.
Eleven Australian soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan and about 90 have been wounded. Many of the wounds suffered have included the loss of limbs and eyesight.
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