Two Australian Soldiers Wounded In Afghanistan

Two Australian Soldiers Wounded In Afghanistan

Two soldiers from Australia’s 1st Mentoring Task Force (MTF1) remain in a satisfactory condition after they were seriously wounded on Saturday when an improvised explosive device detonated against their Bushmaster vehicle in the Baluchi Valley region of Uruzgan Province.

The soldiers were part of a larger partnered MTF1 and Afghan National Army patrol at the time of the incident.

Commanding Officer of the 1st Mentoring Task Force, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Jennings said the soldiers were treated by their mates at the incident scene before being evacuated to a nearby ISAF medical facility for further treatment.

“The team had the site secured, first aid applied and casualty evacuation underway in matter of minutes,” Lieutenant Colonel Jennings said.

“The process worked extremely well with both soldiers receiving quality medical attention at Tarin Kot less than 50 minutes after the blast occurred.”

Lieutenant Colonel Jennings said that the Task Force was still coming to terms with the loss of Privates Tomas Dale and Grant Kirby on Friday when the incident occurred.

“It’s testament to the professionalism of the soldiers I proudly command that they have got straight back into the job at hand and performed admirably under trying circumstances.”

The Next of Kin of both the wounded soldiers have been contacted.

Uruzgan Province has one of the highest rates of improvised explosive device activity in Afghanistan.

These casualties bring the number of Australians wounded this year to 49. To date, 149 personnel have been wounded since Operation SLIPPER began.

ENDS

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