News

24-09-2009

Afghanistan: Italian soldiers injured in latest attack

 AKI - Rome - Two Italian soldiers were injured in southwest Afghanistan on Thursday after being attacked by militants. Sources in the Italian defence ministry told Adnkronos that the attack occurred during a humanitarian operation in Shindand, around 100 kilometres north of Farah, in the southwest. 

As soon as the attack occurred, two A10 fighter aircraft from the multi-national International Security Assistance Force were called to reinforce the troops under attack.

One of the Italian soldiers was injured in the hand, while another was wounded in the neck.

The injured paratroopers, who belong to the same 186th Lightning Brigade which lost six soldiers in the massive bomb attack in the capital, Kabul, last week, were recovering at the hospital in the Italian base in Herat 

"Their condition is not serious," said Maj. Marco Amoriello, Italy's spokesman at the camp in Herat in an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI).

Italy's defence minister Ignazio La Russa expressed his "strong solidarity" with the injured soldiers.

The attack occurred a day after another Italian soldier was injured when his patrol came under fire on Wednesday.

All those killed in last week's attack were from the 186th Lightning Brigade. State funerals were held for the slain soldiers in Rome on Monday in a national day of remembrance in Italy.

Ten Afghans and dozens of Afghan civilians were also injured in the Kabul blast. 

There are around 3,000 Italian troops serving in Afghanistan, mostly in the west of the country. 

Twenty Italian soldiers have been killed in the conflict between insurgents and the NATO-led international force since the Taliban was ousted in 2001.