Australian soldiers help two Afghan civilians

Australian soldiers help two Afghan civilians injured by unexploded ordnance

Two Afghan civilians have been released from a coalition medical facility in Tarin Kowt, in Southern Afghanistan after receiving medical treatment from Australian Defence Force personnel for injuries they received in a suspected unexploded ordnance incident.

The father and son were believed to have been scavenging material from an area used as a firing range by Afghan and coalition troops in the Baluchi Valley, Oruzgan Province, on the 9th of April when the incident occurred.

Personnel with the First Mentoring Task Force (MTF-1) at a nearby patrol base heard the explosion and responded to the scene. They provided immediate medical assistance before the two injured Afghans were airlifted to the ISAF medical facility in Tarin Kowt where they received further treatment.

The father and son were both released from the ISAF medical facility on the 15th of April. Coalition military medical staff will conduct a follow-up assessment.

In a separate incident at a training range in Afghanistan, an Australian soldier was injured on the 10th of April when he was hit with fragmentation.

The soldier was injured in a training accident, not as the result of combat or hostile actions against adversaries, and was flown to Germany for specialist medical treatment in a US hospital.

The injury is not life threatening and the soldier has spoken to his family.

ENDS

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