Three diggers wounded in Afghanistan

25 Mar 2009, 4:17 pm   -   Source: AAP
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Three Australian soldiers have been wounded in Afghanistan revealing a dangerous spike in violent battles with Taliban fighters.

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Three Australian soldiers have been wounded in Afghanistan revealing a dangerous spike in violent battles with Taliban fighters.

The injuries come in the week after two Australian soldiers were killed in Afghanistan, bringing the death toll to 10.
 
The soldiers were patrolling the Oruzgan Province with the Afghan Army yesterday when a road side bomb went off during the gun battle.
 
Defence says two of the soldiers are seriously injured and are receiving medical treatment in Tarin Kowt.
 
The third soldier is in a more serious condition and has undergone surgery in Kandahar.
 
An interpreter has serious injuries to his upper body and is also receiving care in Kandahar.

He has been transferred to International Security Assistance Force medical facilities in Kandahar.
 
The three soldiers were conducting a "dismounted patrol" led by the Afghan National Army in Oruzgan Province when the incident occurred on Tuesday.
 
The patrol was "engaged in a contact with Taliban insurgents" who used an improvised explosive device (IED), rocket propelled grenades and small arms fire.
 
"Three Australian soldiers from the Australian Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team patrol and a coalition interpreter were wounded in the engagement," defence said.
 
"Their wounds were caused by fragmentation from the IED. It is not known what caused the device to activate."

Defence said the patrol returned fire and coalition air support was called in.
 
Operations were continuing on the battlefield, it said.

"Australian and Afghan soldiers at the scene of the incident have maintained contact with the Taliban insurgents and are conducting a search for the attackers."
 
The families of the wounded soldiers have been notified.

The interpreter received serious injuries to his upper body and is also receiving "intensive medical care" in Kandahar.

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