Two diggers wounded in Afghanistan

Two Australian soldiers have been wounded in action in Afghanistan and one is in a
serious condition.
Defence says the soldiers, from the Mentoring Task Force (MTF-2), were hurt in
separate IED (improvised explosive device) blasts in the Baluchi Valley region of
Oruzgan province on Sunday.
In the most serious incident, an Afghan National Army foot patrol accompanied by
Australian soldiers struck an IED.
One of the Australians sustained serious blast and fragmentation wounds.
He was treated at the scene then evacuated by helicopter to the International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF) medical facility at Tarin Kowt before being
transported to the medical facility in Kandahar for further treatment.
Defence said the soldier was in a serious condition.
The other incident involved an IED strike on a Bushmaster armoured vehicle.
The wounded soldier was treated at the scene for suspected internal injuries.
He was then flown by helicopter to the ISAF medical facility at Tarin Kowt.
Following medical assessment, he was also transported to the medical facility in
Kandahar for further treatment.
A CAT scan revealed no significant injuries and he is now classed as being in a
satisfactory condition.
The families of both soldiers have been notified.
Australian Middle East commander Major General John Cantwell said there had been
significant gains in finding and destroying many IEDs and munitions caches but
insurgents continued to target Afghan and ISAF patrols with no regard for innocent
local people.
"In each of today's incidents, the soldiers were quickly attended to by their mates
in the field and are being cared for in the ISAF medical facility in Kandahar," he
said in a statement.
So far this year, 62 Australian soldiers have been wounded in action in
Afghanistan. Since Australia started operations in Afghanistan, 162 soldiers have
been wounded.
In that time, 21 have been killed, 10 this year.